The first structured research programme in Europe to develop assistive technologies for people with autism and intellectual disability was launched in Dublin today.

The National Disability Authority Ireland (NDA) published a recent report which stated ‘Assistive Technologies is centrally important for disability policy as it is one of the more concrete ways that the barriers to participation in society can be overcome for people with disabilities'.

The ASSISTID programme will be supported by the EU and the charity RESPECT Ireland and coordinated by the DOCTRID Research Institute which was established by The Daughters of Charity Service (DOC) in 2010. The DOC provides daily support to over 2,500 people with an intellectual disability both in specialist centres and full time care in Ireland. The DOCTRID Research Institute is a collaborative research partnership of all the universities on the island of Ireland, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), and US universities including Michigan State University and the University of Massachusetts Medical School together with associated partners in Europe, Japan, Canada and South America.

At the conference, Professor Brian Harvey from RCSI and Director of Research for DOCTRID highlighted the importance of the research. He said: "DOCTRID and ASSISTID are positioned in a unique place and time-frame to undertake and support research and technologies to address critical needs in the area of autism, intellectual and other neurodevelopmental disabilities in order to make important, meaningful and sustainable impact on the quality of life of individuals with these disabilities on a global basis."