Accessibility on the Assembly Estate

Part of 3. Questions to the Assembly Commission – in the Senedd at 3:21 pm on 24 January 2018.

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Photo of Joyce Watson Joyce Watson Labour 3:21, 24 January 2018

I can, but I can't make people sign up. So, as Commissioner I will join you in your plea for Assembly Members to become dementia friendly, because I think that will not only help us here, but it will help us when we're engaging with people, wherever that might be. There has been a conversation that has started with the Commission's diversity and inclusion team. They've engaged with a dementia engagement and empowerment project to look at developing a guide for visitors with dementia. It's a similar guide to those that were already produced for visitors with autism. It's about being aware. For example, the scanners that beep might be a little bit disconcerting to some people who might not understand that. So, they're quite excited and they're very, very engaged in trying to look at what it is that they can do.

There has been, of course—the diversity and inclusion team have delivered Dementia Friends information sessions highlighting what it feels like to live with dementia, and the small ways that people can help, and how to turn that understanding into action, because that's really what we want to back. The sessions, as you know, are advertised to all Assembly Commission staff, Assembly Members and Assembly Member support staff each year during the Commission's diversity and inclusion week. So, we are moving forward. I'm sure that there is progress that we can make, and I'm sure that we will take any advice that people are able to give us to help us achieve our aim of becoming a dementia-friendly organisation with all the Members, hopefully, signed up.