Minister Rabbitte launches further public consultation on the Autism Innovation Strategy
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From: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
- Published on: 9 February 2024
- Last updated on: 1 June 2024
Today, Minister of State for Disability Anne Rabbitte launched a further public consultation on the national Autism Innovation Strategy.
This public consultation will provide an opportunity for interested stakeholders to share their views on the draft Autism Innovation Strategy before it is finalised and launched.
The draft Autism Innovation Strategy, which has just been published, has been prepared based on the feedback received as part of an initial public consultation and following discussions with departments and agencies across Government to agree actions under the Strategy.
The Autism Innovation Strategy 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. The Strategy contains actions that will be undertaken right across Government to better support autistic people and their families over an 18-month period.
The Autism Innovation Strategy will complement and enhance wider action on disability by focusing on areas where there are bespoke needs for autistic people.
All interested stakeholders are invited to participate in the public consultation. The views of autistic individuals are particularly welcomed. The public consultation will consist of an online survey as well as targeted focus groups. Engagement is also being undertaken with the Autism Innovation Strategy Oversight and Advisory Group. The public consultation will run until 4pm on Friday 1 March 2024.
Minister Rabbitte said:
“I am delighted to give people a further opportunity to have their say on the Autism Innovation Strategy before it is finalised and launched. I encourage all stakeholders to engage in shaping the final form of the Autism Innovation Strategy. It is vital that the Strategy be informed by the lived experience of autistic people, their families, carers, and supporters, so we can ensure that challenges and barriers are being adequately addressed. Your valuable insights and experiences will guide us in creating a more inclusive and responsive Strategy.”
Notes
Action on Autism is a commitment in the Programme for Government.
On World Autism Awareness Day in 2021, Minister Rabbitte announced the government’s intention to develop a national strategy on autism.
The first stage in the development process of the Autism Innovation Strategy consisted of an initial public consultation, which took place from April to May 2022. A report was published in April 2023 summarising the feedback received.
The second phase of the development process, comprising an application process for membership of the Autism Innovation Strategy Oversight and Advisory Group, was launched in June 2022. The group was appointed in December 2022 and met most recently in January 2024.
Once this public consultation has been completed, the Autism Innovation Strategy will be finalised on the basis of the feedback received as part of the public consultation and launched.
In the context of rising rates of autism globally, the Strategy is being positioned so as to identify and address the bespoke needs of the autistic community, laying the foundations for mainstream services that better understand and respond to the needs of autistic people, alongside better public understanding of autism. The Strategy will complement and enhance national disability policy initiatives such as the recently published Progressing Disability Services Roadmap and the Action Plan for Disability Services 2024-26, and comes in the course of the simultaneous development of the next National Disability Strategy, for which public consultation is also open.
Any questions regarding the Autism Innovation Strategy should be sent to Autism_Strategy@equality.gov.ie