Dedicated Oireachtas Committee on autism would allow lived experience to form basis of upcoming report – Carrigy

The lived experience of autism should form the basis of an important upcoming Government report, a Fine Gael Senator has said.

Senator Micheál Carrigy is calling for the establishment of a dedicated Oireachtas Committee to allow the lived experience of people with autism to be heard in order for members of both Houses of the Oireachtas to feed into the report.

Senator Carrigy said, “I welcome the recent commitment from the Minister of State with Responsibility for Disability at the Department of Health, Anne Rabbitte TD, to complete a non-statutory report into autism services in Ireland.

“However, I also feel we can go one step further and ensure that the lived experience of people with autism forms the basis of the report. I have written to the Minister to request the establishment of a dedicated Oireachtas Committee to hold hearings with autism NGOs, parents and children and adults on the spectrum to understand the real lived experiences of those people who need changes to improve their lives.”

Senator Carrigy has been an advocate for the introduction of an Act to empower persons with an autism spectrum disorder by providing for their health and well-being in society, the betterment of their living conditions, their participation and inclusion in society and to make ancillary and consequential provisions thereto in full adherence to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability.

“I have been working with parents who wish to have their voice amplified. The establishment of a dedicated Oireachtas Committee would provide a strong platform for them and allow Oireachtas members to hear and discuss the issues affecting them today in advance of this important report”, Senator Carrigy concluded.