Sir, – I am the 14-year-old disability rights campaigner who performed an overnight 50-hour protest at Leinster House last May to highlight the disgraceful assessments of needs waiting lists for autistic children.
There are almost 17,000 children now waiting, with that figure expected to reach 25,000 by Christmas as per recent HSE projections.
The Government must urgently intervene to stop the dramatic escalation of those figures.
I am due to meet Tánaiste Simon Harris on September 1st. The three previous taoisigh, including Mr Harris, broke every promise made to me in previous meetings that they would fix this problem.
RM Block
Not assessing autistic children within six months breaches the Disability Act and leads to irreparable damage to children with disabilities.
Will the Tánaiste intervene and declare this a national crisis, or will I just hear more of the same political bluster and spin? This is the time for real action. – Yours, etc,
CARA DARMODY,
Ardfinnan,
Co Tipperary.
