As part of Autism Awareness Month, in April 2021, I announced the Government’s intention to develop an Autism Innovation Strategy.
The aim of the Autism Innovation Strategy is to identify bespoke challenges and barriers faced by Autistic and Neurodivergent people across Ireland and to deliver tangible solutions to address those challenges. The strategy will focus on specific areas that may not be addressed by other national strategies, such as the National Disability Inclusion Strategy or the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities.
I want Autistic people, their families and supporters to be at the centre of the development process for the Autism Innovation Strategy and of monitoring implementation of the strategy once adopted.
For this reason, I launched an appointment process for the Autism Innovation Strategy Oversight and Advisory Group in June 2022. This group will play a key role in monitoring implementation of the strategy and providing oversight and critical, constructive analysis based on the lived experience and expertise of group members. This appointment process followed an initial public consultation to begin the development of the Autism Innovation Strategy in April-May 2022.
My Department received a high volume of applications and the standard was extremely high. All applications for membership of the Oversight and Advisory Group have now been reviewed and successful applicants have been notified. Members were selected through a combination of appointments from the result of a short-listing process and a smaller number of direct appointments by me as Minister, based on the desirable balance and skillset of the Group.
Shortlisted applications were assessed on the basis of award criteria that were published as part of the guidance documentation for the application process. This guidance material was also published in easy-to-read format.
During the selection process, careful attention was paid to ensuring that the group is majority Neurodiverse, and that the group is balanced and representative in terms of the different perspectives and experiences of group members. Members of the group include Autistic people, parents of Autistic children, professionals working in relevant fields and representatives of organisations with a focus on Autism.
An introductory meeting of the group took place on 14th December 2022. It is equally intended that a further public consultation process will take place in 2023 prior to the adoption of the Autism Innovation Strategy. This will give all interested stakeholders a further opportunity to have their say on the strategy prior to its adoption.
