Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 54 and 56 together. I recently announced my intention to establish a working group to develop an autism innovation strategy. I made the announcement at the AsIAm "What Autism Acceptance Means to Me" online event, celebrating World Autism Day. My intention is to launch the strategy in January 2022.

The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth currently co-ordinates the national disability inclusion strategy and the comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities. Complementing these two major frameworks, the aim of the autism innovation strategy is to address the specific barriers that may be faced by individuals with autism and their families. The focus of the strategy in the short term will be to deliver real and tangible solutions to the challenges, needs and experiences of people with autism.

As an initial step, I intend to set up an autism innovation strategy working group. This group will develop and subsequently monitor the implementation of the strategy. I will personally chair the working group, once established. The intention is that the working group is to be formed in September of this year. It will be made up of officials from relevant Departments and agencies, as well as public stakeholders. The tasks of the working group will include pinpointing priorities within areas of education, employment, health and housing that the strategy will aim to address; working collaboratively to identify actions which support the effective implementation of the plan; and ensuring that the lived experience of people with autism is part of the design, implementation and monitoring of the strategy. The working group will also provide oversight and critical, constructive analysis that will help the autism innovation strategy achieve its goals. The strategy will be cross-departmental in nature, as autism is not solely an issue to be addressed with health supports, but one which requires a more holistic and rights-based approach to be taken, reflecting the entirety of a person's lived experience.

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