Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 1 October 2025

Committee on Disability Matters

Inclusive Education for Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed)

2:00 am

Ms Áine Lawlor:

We should have some examples of joint working and how we do it. It is important to take the learnings because it is not necessarily novel to build around a child a team that can appropriately intervene and share the roles. It is a matter of the clarity.

We were asked about AAC and a specific approach in terms of Spelling to Communicate. It is particularly important to note that one specific approach is rarely appropriate for all children. As a professional organisation, we would be advocating clinically for access to robust assessment, appropriate support and equitable access to services. It is about more than just giving a child an AAC device; it is about giving them access to communication support for them and their communication system, but also support for their language development. That is an ongoing process that requires development.