Dublin — The government of Ireland will soon be publishing its comprehensive plan for individuals with autism in the country.
The plan will lay down details on how different sectors of the Irish government will be taking part on the nation’s efforts to address issues that comes with the growing number of individuals affected by autism spectrum disorder in the country.
Comprehensive plans will be laid down for the departments of education, environment, health and justice. Under these plans, the country’s health staffs as well as the gardaì or police force and other workers in the justice system will have to undergo a mandatory training on autism awareness, which will include the essentials of dealing with individuals with autism. The plan also mandates that teachers as well as special needs assistants also undergo the same training.
The Irish Department of Justice and Equality will be responsible for the government’s autism awareness campaign, while the country’s Department of National Health will handle the trainings that personnels will have to undergo.
The Department of Environment, meanwhile, will be tasked to join forces with the National Disability Agency to come up with a guideline on proposed housing support and other services that the government plans to make available to individuals with autism. Local housing authorities will also be trained on autism awareness.
The Irish government included a plan intended to address the pressing problem of employment in individuals with developmental disabilities, which comes once they leave school. The plan tackles the need for a pilot project that will help students with disabilities transition from school to training and employment.
The government’s extensive plan to address the needs of individuals with autism in the country will be part of its new strategy that’s set to replace its National Disability Strategy Implementation Plan, which started in 2013 and is set to end later this year.
Major changes on the current implementation plan mostly consist of the government’s autism plan, which were not previously included.
Source: Sarah Bardon in The Irish Times Coalition to publish plan for people with autism