Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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1027. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department were to develop an awareness campaign promoting the benefits of employing disabled persons to would be employers, if there would be opportunities for persons with disabilities and disabled persons organisations to co-produce or feed into such a campaign. [32033/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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A public awareness campaign has been planned to raise awareness among employers of the benefits of employing people with disabilities. This is being taken forward within the framework of the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities 2015-2024 (CES) which is a cross-government strategy to address the barriers and challenges to employment for people with disabilities. It includes representatives of disability organisations, particularly those focused on employment, of the Disability Stakeholders Group, which includes people with lived experience of disabilities, and of relevant Government Departments and Agencies. People with disabilities have been involved in advising on the potential messages to be included in the public awareness campaign. The campaign has been postponed because of the disruption to the labour market resulting from Covid-19. The Department is considering how to develop the campaign when labour market conditions are more suitable.

However an important and key element of the campaign has been advanced since 2020 and is currently underway. The Open Doors Initiative were grant funded (€150,000) to establish the Employers for Change service. This service is aimed at employers and it provides the following:

- An information and advice phone and online service for employers.

- Expert, direct advice, signposting and guidance tailored to the needs of employers on issues relating the employment of people with disabilities.

- The creation of a new engaging and fully accessible website containing relevant information and links to support employers.

- Creation of advice, resources, research, toolkits and media materials addressing specific areas of need for employers.

- Delivering and designing expert led seminars on relevant issues (assistive technology, reasonable accommodation, hiring and retention of staff etc.).

- Engaging with relevant fora and networks to promote the service.

Employers for Change was officially launched by the Taoiseach in March 2021 and has had an immediate and positive effect – engaging employers and key stakeholders both by active outreach and by responding to specific queries brought be employers. Employers for Change recently issued its mid-year report and presented its progress to the June meeting of the CES Implementation Group.