Social Democrats councillor Ronan Moore has welcomed the news that Meath County Council is to install communication boards in 20 playgrounds across the county.
Cllr Moore said:
“This is a great step forward for inclusion in the county. The boards are primarily a communications support, with particular benefit to children or adults who are either pre-verbal or non-verbal and/or have communication difficulties.
“Communication Boards, which include picture representations of day-to-day core words, as well as images that are specific to the playground where they are located, help bridge this communication gap for everyone.
“The idea came about through the ‘One Good Idea’ initiative I ran last summer asking members of the community to come up with an idea that I would then commit to working on over the next 12 months.
“Marion Ryan, from Trim, was in touch with an idea that focussed on inclusion. While that specific scheme was not feasible, it did lead to me contacting InterAcT in Trinity College Dublin and Inclusion Ireland. From this came the idea of the communication boards, a form of alternative communication.
“I began working with Meath County Council on this issue and have had strong support from the senior leaders and the chamber, where my motion to introduce communication boards was unanimously backed by all councillors.
“The only challenge left was funding and I’m delighted that the Facebook Data Centre in Clonee has has now come on board to fully fund the production and installation of these boards throughout the playgrounds of County Meath.
“I am proud of having helped bring this project to fruition and have no doubt the boards will benefit many families over the coming years. I feel this initiative is a model for how local people, the council and businesses that operate in our community can work together to make real positive differences in Meath.”
December 17, 2020