Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I hope Fianna Fáil continues to take an interest in this area. I do not know how aware of the situation the Deputy is or how familiar he is with it. The issue for many parents of children with a disability is that although, thankfully, these children are very integrated into education, particularly in their early years, many children with different levels of disability would like to continue to be involved in training and education. Many of them also want to be able to take part in paid employment.

As a society, it should be our ambition not simply to provide income support for families and individuals with a disability, but to provide structures which provide for services that allow people to participate fully in society as adults to the extent they wish and for which they have the capacity.

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