Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leader for arranging for us to discuss disabilities and the associated costs next week. At the meeting of the Joint Committee on Disability Matters this morning, I heard a word that I never expected to hear in Leinster House or the Oireachtas. I refer to the use of the word "eugenics" during the discussion at the meeting. That is not something I ever expected to hear. A witness who was appearing before the raised the possibility that people with autism would be obliged to train themselves out of displaying any of the features or characteristics which go with that condition. We heard evidence about cognitive behavioural therapy that is given to autistic people in this State - they are autistic because that is part of who they are and they are proud of their identity - to teach them how to mask their condition. I was struck by reading about that in the first instance.

I attended an event held by the WALK community recently at which service users who had come through training for peer representation talked about their experiences. One of those people spoke about how he feels obliged to mask the fact that he has a disability when he is out and about and pretend that he is neurotypical. There is something to that. Each week, I have come in here and talked about ableist privilege, but we must take this matter seriously. We must consider what we are doing. I am getting more emails and messages now because I have spoken about this issue week after week. I am hearing about the lived experience of families with a child with a disability and from people in the autistic community. Children in preschool are being expelled because they get anxiety, they have difficulties or they behave in a way that is not acceptable to their so-called carers.

We need public information and training in respect of this issue. We require so many things in order to ensure that everybody in our community has a right to be who they are and has that right supported. We must ensure that we are inclusive and challenge issues in this area. At the heart of everything we do must be the principle of "There is nothing about us, without us", and that must be treasured and held absolutely sacredly. Nothing should happen in this State without the people who are most affected having a say and being able to influence the outcomes.