Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland

Lobbying Organisation Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland

Date published 21 Jan, 2021

Relevant Matter Public policy or programme

Public Policy Area Health

Period 1 Sep, 2020 to 31 Dec, 2020

Specific Details AOTI wrote to the Minister of State with Responsibility for Special Education and Inclusion about the announcement of Priorities for Action to reform special education provision in Ireland and the commitment to continue to invest in children’s inclusion and special educational needs.

Intended results We sought a meeting with the Minister to discuss these Priorities for Action with a view to identifying ways that AOTI and our members could support their advancement.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Odhrán Allen

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Letter (1)

Specific Priorities for Action mentioned were: • School Inclusion: progressing and expanding the pre-school and in-school therapy demonstration project and the school inclusion model to enable the provision of wrap-around support services in schools including Occupational Therapy • Listening and Learning: ensuring the voices of students and their families are core to the planning and provision of education • Improving Support: reviewing and improving the Assistive Technology Support scheme and the Home Tuition scheme.

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Josepha Madigan Minister of State (Department of Education and Skills)