Ireland’s new Autism Innovation Strategy 'can't just sit on a shelf' and needs to be set in law, a leading campaigner has said.
The strategy has four pillars and 83 actions to be implemented across an 18-month period.
The Government says it aims to address the "bespoke challenges and barriers facing autistic people and to improve understanding and accommodation of autism within society and across the public system."
As I Am CEO Adam Harris told Newstalk Breakfast it's about ease of access for people with autism.
"Autistic people face a range of accessibility barriers in day-to-day life that other people don't see and they can prevent autistic people from having the same chance to get a job, participate in the community, go to school [or] to access public services," he said.
"This whole-of-Government strategy is bringing together over 11 departments and State agencies to try and break down some of those silos that exist... when it comes to autism policy.
"I think a lot of the time when we talk about autism, we talk about people as passive recipients as opposed to active participants in the community."
'We want it followed through'
Mr Harris said As I Am welcomes the strategy but it must be followed by action.
"We know that strategies often sit on shelves, they often gather dust," he said.
"Implementation isn't a strong suit in this country.
"So, what we're saying today is, we welcome the strategy ... we want to see that followed through [with] resourcing ahead of the budget that's forthcoming.
"We want to see a clear commitment to implement in full the 83 actions but critically as well, we want to see it put on a statutory footing.
"It's only if we put this strategy into law, if we require the state to have such a strategy and to deliver it, that we'll see a long-term change."
'Very specific challenges'
Mr Harris said the 18-month strategy "isn't a panacea, it's a starting point."
He said legislation around autism needs to be updated.
"We know that much of the legislation that related to disability came in in the early 2000s, where we were still talking about autism in the context of [a] cure, we were still talking about autism in the context of a medical condition," he said.
"What the Autism Innovation Strategy is about doing - it's not about saying if you're autistic you have rights over and above a dyslexic person or a person with ADHD - it's about saying we recognise when we look at the data there's very specific challenges here.
"One in 27 children in our school now have a diagnosis.
"So just as we have Sláintecare, but we also have a cancer strategy or just as we have a youth strategy, [there is an autism strategy]".
'Long-term commitment'
Mr Harris said the 18-month timeframe is a starting point.
"I think it is important that it's an 18-month strategy because I think that that gives us an opportunity to develop proof of concept," he said.
"This is something that makes a difference and should be a long-term commitment. But we know to break down the level of barriers that exist for our community this is going to take quite a number of years.
"So, we see this as just a starting point."
Mr Harris said they group has "deliberately called for actions" that can be achieved within 18-months.
He added that if the measures are implemented, they will "break down some of the barriers that autistic people experience in day-to-day life".
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