Joint Committee on Autism to Joint Committee on Autism to hold separate sessions on assistive technology and autism policy and employment

The meeting at 11am in Committee Room 4 of Leinster House will be split into two sessions:

• 11:00-12:30 – Autism Policy and Assistive Technology with Ms Carmel Ryan (parent) and Mr Fiacre Ryan (student);
• 12:30-14:00 – Autism Policy and Employment with representatives from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and representatives from Specialisterne Ireland.

Committee Cathaoirleach Senator Micheál Carrigy said: “Assistive technology plays a very important role in the lives of children and adults who live with autism. It may give a voice to people who are non-verbal, minimally verbal or unreliably verbal. Fiacre Ryan and his mother Carmel will tell the Committee how Fiacre communicates in his daily life and the challenges he faced in accessing assistance.

“In our second session we will continue our examination of autism policy and employment and how people can be assisted into the workforce with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and Specialisterne Ireland, a specialist social enterprise for people with autism and other similar neurodiversity issues.”

The Joint Committee on Autism has 13 Members, eight from the Dáil and five from the Seanad.

The meeting in Committee Room 4 can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.