Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 July 2022
664. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will report on the provision of specific pathways of support to reach under-represented minorities within the autism community including members of Traveller, ethnic minorities and LGBTQIA+ communities. [37131/22]
View answerAs Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Disability, I have consistently worked to move towards a rights based model of support for people with disabilities, including under-represented groups that may face multiple forms of discrimination. This is the approach set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which Ireland ratified in 2018.
I am acutely aware of the need to make further advances towards meeting the needs of people with autism in Ireland. It is for this reason that I have prioritised the development of a national Autism Innovation Strategy.
This strategy will identify key areas where individuals with autism face particular challenges and barriers, in order to accelerate our journey towards being a more autism-inclusive and neurodiverse-friendly society.
The Autism Innovation Strategy will complement our existing national disability strategies, which are designed to support people with disabilities in all aspects of their lives. These are the National Disability Inclusion Strategy and the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities.
Notwithstanding the Government's commitment for action on autism, it is important to note that neurodiverse persons already are encompassed by the supports provided in broader disability national strategies and plans. The Autism Innovation Strategy will be developed so as to sit harmoniously with wider disability strategies, and in a manner that ensures the fair distribution of supports.
The existing disability strategies are already cognisant of intersectional issues. Given the interlinkages between disability equality policy and other equality areas such as gender, LGBTQIA+, ethnic minority and Traveller rights, my officials coordinate with a wide range of colleagues across the Department, other Government Departments/Agencies and external stakeholders to ensure that policy and strategy development takes account of the specific needs of different groups in society, on an explicitly intersectional basis.
A review of Ireland's national equality strategies - the Migrant Integration Strategy, the National Strategy for Women and Girls and the National Traveller & Roma Inclusion Strategy - is currently underway and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The evaluation process will consider how to address the issue of intersectionality in a more coherent way. Successor strategies will look to design and implement programmes and measures to address intersectional discrimination in partnership with NGOs and communities.
