Ambition to make Mayo an autism-friendly county
AN initiative to make Mayo an autism-friendly county will reap benefits for all in the community.
A working group at council level to complement the work of autism-friendly town committees dotted around Mayo has been suggested as a positive step to further this ambition.
At their monthly meeting, elected representatives received a presentation from Ballina Autism-Friendly Town committee members Elisha Beattie and Rebecca Connor-Wood, who said work is underway to make Mayo the country's first autism-friendly county.
The focus of their committee's work includes building awareness around autism, education, inclusion and acceptance, and they want to see this introduced as a county-wide initiative.
In the community there needs to be accessible infrastructure and inclusive events and activities, as well as sensory considerations.
One small but significant change that could be implemented is autism-friendly parking. Not all autistic people qualify for disabled parking, but spaces closers to entrances, such as supermarkets, would make for a less stressful, safer transition for children.
Promoting AAC communication boards in community spaces, such as playgrounds and libraries, would allow children and adults to communicate, bridging between speaking and non-speaking people.
Another simple accommodation is to encourage more image based signage, which would also benefit people with dyslexia, alzheimers or for whom English is not their first language.
On a council level, using email to communicate instead of phone calls would assist some people with autism.
There were numerous benefits with becoming an autism-friendly county, from tourism to supporting people with disabilities or older members of the community.
Councillor Jarlath Munnelly said everyone in the community would benefit and he wanted to see the council action some of the suggestions. And he wanted to see a working group set up to see how the council can progress these.
“Little changes make a huge difference for families,” said Councillor Ger Deere who hailed initiatives such as a silent street during the St. Patrick's Day parade, which allowed families to go out and enjoy the event together.
They wanted to make the county better for everyone to live in, while he also pointed to it being a great marketing tool where families can holiday without worry.
Supporting a strategy, Councillor Alma Gallagher said it needs to be far-reaching and ambitious, encouraging businesses and other strategic sectors to get involved, while listening to families who need to be at the core of it.
It needs to be education led, Councillor Brendan Mulroy said, similar to environmental initiatives like the Green Flag in the primary schools.
In his work with Western Care, every day he saw role models in businesses who are leaders in the game, supporting people with disabilities.
However, he was critical of successive governments who he said have 'paid lip service' to people with disabilities.
Questioned about funding works, chief executive Kevin Kelly said without central government funding the best the council can do is incorporate works into their normal works programme.