Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

With my colleague, Senator Dolan, I had the opportunity to co-host a joint meeting of the Joint Committee on Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Joint Committee on Education and Skills and Joint Committee on Health. It was an opportunity to bring together persons with disabilities. The medical card system was brought up as a real concern and a fear for those seeking to access employment or education. In the year when the Minister of State is ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which I applaud him for, we need to move towards emancipation as well as care. Many carers want to see those they care for supported and emancipated. That is where that join-up is important. We should applaud them for their work and let that work not be invisible. Let us consult with them on the routes to opportunity for carers and those cared for.