COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, December 09, 2019
QUESTION NO. 23
QUESTION: Councillor Mary Seery-Kearney
Does the Council have any provisions in place for clients with special needs, including autism, attending at the Council's offices and would the Council consider the provision of a sensory room for clients to assist them in accessing the Council's services.
REPLY:
South Dublin County Council has a long-standing commitment to access and equality and to meeting its responsibilities under all relevant equality and human rights legislation and policy. We are also committed to working with, and within, the framework of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD).
Action 21 of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy 2017 – 2021 requires all government departments and public bodies to become more autism friendly.
South Dublin Libraries have undertaken a variety of actions to become more autism friendly, including conducting sensory audits of individual libraries. Sensory audits look at issues such as:
- How spaces are lit and what the noise levels are in those spaces.
- Are spaces overly cluttered – clutter can be distressing for people with Asperger’s or who are on the autistic spectrum (visual noise).
- Does signage need to be improved to include more pictures and symbols.
- Is there a quiet room or space available where people can go during a meltdown or when they need to stim.
Social Stories have also been developed to help people with autism to prepare for visits to specific libraries, such as Lucan Library. The libraries also provide sensory friendly times where the lighting is lowered, telephones are turned down and technology is silenced.
The Autism Experience Exhibition has visited the County on three occasions over the past two years and a number of council staff have participated in it. Adam Harris, CEO and founder of AsIAm has also made an autism awareness presentation to council staff.
A significant range of access is available across Council facilities and services to meet the varied access needs of disabled people. However, sensory audits will be carried out, using the AsIAm Sensory Checklist, in County Hall and Civic Offices Clondalkin during 2020 to ascertain how these two civic buildings can become more sensory friendly to people accessing the Council’s services.