The Programme for Government makes a number of key commitments in supporting the Autistic community and wider disabled community. Please click here to access our one-page document of the Programme for Government. The below areas are key areas of focus for AsIAm.
• The current Autism Innovation Strategy makes 83 recommendations to support the Autistic community in Ireland. This strategy is set to expire in February 2026. Our call is for Government to legislate for an Autism Innovation Strategy to ensure the safeguarding of future Autism Innovation Strategy’s.
• Full review of the Disability Act to bring it into line with the United Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
• Implementation of the EPSEN Act 2004 based on a review of the current legislation.
• To update the current “Understanding Behaviour of Concern and Responding to Crisis Situations Guidelines” due to these guidelines falling short of being robust, child-centred and rights-based.
• Introduce an independent complaints mechanism in schools, moving away from a system which currently facilitates schools Board of Management investigating themselves for practices such as the use of restraint and seclusion.
• Advocate to ensure every Autistic child has access to an appropriate school placement and resources to vindicate Autistic children’s right to a primary education.
• Ensure the upcoming review of the Codes of Behaviour Guidelines by Tusla Education Support Service ends the practise of sanction, suspension and expulsions based on support need and end the practice of suspensions and expulsions in special schools.
• Ensure the in-school therapy service is fit for purpose and the roll-out of this programme is included in mainstream settings.
• Develop a mandatory, national training programme on Autism for all school staff.
• Update all circulars to ensure language and practise conforms to UNCRPD requirements.
• Ensuring Autistic adults and children have a pathway to access autism assessments within the public system remains’ a key priority for AsIAm.
• Ensuring Autistic children get access to appropriate supports, such as key therapies to support with development, including access to Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ACC) devices.
• Establish a single-entry point to Children’s Disability Network Teams and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services for Autistic children and disabled children.
• Roll out the expansion of One-Stop-Shop’s to every Regional Health Area (REA) in the country to ensure access to timely autism specific supports.
• Support the abolition of the means testing of carers allowance and Disability Allowance recipients to support with the vindicating of Article 28 on the UNCRPD
• Improve employment supports for Autistic people, including access to reasonable accommodations, staff training and inclusive hiring practices.
• Introducing a Cost of Disability payment which addresses the additional costs of being Autistic or Disabled and give community members an adequate income to live on.
• Introduce a Cost of Disability payment for those on Disability Allowance.
• Raise the age in which families can receive Domiciliary Care Allowance for their child from 16 to 18.
• To see the full implementation of Article 19 of the UNCRPD envisioned to ensure disabled people access the right to appropriate housing that meets their needs within the community.
• Expand the current Housing Adaptation Scheme to ensure it is more flexible to meet the needs of the Autistic community.
We work with every party and group in the Oireachtas, both in Government and in Opposition, to advocate on behalf of Ireland’s autism community, and address the barriers to access and inclusion that Autistic people and our wider community experience all across Irish society. Our team includes members of various political affiliations and opinions. We hope this attention to diversity is reflective of our equally diverse autism community.
We work with every party and group in the Oireachtas, both in Government and in Opposition, to advocate on behalf of the Autistic community in Ireland. A key focus of our lobbying is to ensure inclusivity is at the heart of government policies which directly impact the Autistic community. We advocate for policies that espouse the objectives of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) which if implemented would create an inclusive and accessible society for the Autistic community.
Along with self-advocates and other disability organisations, we sit on a number of committees including the Autism Innovation Strategy Oversight and Advisory Group, HSE’s Autism Programme Board, the National Housing Steering Group and we liaise with a wide range of government departments and state agencies to ensure they understand Autistic people’s experiences better.
As part of our commitment to transparency, and as part of our obligations, every four months we publish a list of our interactions with designated public officials on lobbying.ie. These interactions include politicians but also other state agencies such as the Health Service Executive (HSE), the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and the Teaching Council among other agencies. We believe in working with members of all parties and from all public bodies to advocate for meaningful changes for the Autistic community.
All of our lobbying records can be viewed here at the here at the Register of Lobbying Returns’ website.