Cllrs open to making Navan a neurodiverse friendly town

Plans to make Navan a neurodiverse-friendly town have officially begun thanks to the unanimous support for a motion at the Navan Municipal Council meeting earlier this month.

The campaign led by community support group, Neurodiversity Navan, is working to put Navan on the map as a neurodiverse-friendly town; a place that welcomes, celebrates and embraces different brains and unique thinkers. Its objective is to assist and guide the community with training and awareness to enable improved understanding of neurodivergent profiles and accommodations needed to improve the experience and inclusiveness for a truly neurodiverse community.

The councillors have pledged their support to Neurodiversity Navan's campaign and supported a motion by Cllr Emer Tóibín at last week's meeting calling on the council to pilot dedicated parking spaces for neurodivergent people as a courtesy space for use by those with sensory disability (as provided by Dublin City Council in Sandymount)

Cllr Tóibín was told that while Meath Co Council commended increasing awareness and displaying support for neurodiversity, the marking of parking spaces with a logo is not effective in facilitating access to parking on courtesy spaces.

The council was advised by Dublin City Council’s Parking Enforcement that a local group in Sandymount initiated marking spaces with a logo design representing neurodiversity. Dublin City Council gave consent to use this space at Tesco and it is a pilot in the Sandymount area. This space continues to be used as a regular pay and display space and Parking Patrol Officers cannot prevent parking by all vehicles in this courtesy space.

Last week's meeting heard Meath Co Council's parking enforcement service cannot reserve any courtesy spaces for drivers or passengers with sensory disabilities. This would require voluntary co-operation from drivers. There are no national parking regulations to create an offence for use of courtesy spaces for neurodiversity.

This neurodiversity symbol or logo is not recognised in any parking regulations. The current regulations prohibit parking in a disabled bay without displaying a valid permit which facilitates drivers and passengers with mobility disabilities.

It was agreed the council would look at providing such spaces, starting at Buvinda House.

Cllr Tóibín said it would be hugely beneficial to neurodivergent people and families of neurodivergent children. "Neurodivergent people with significant sensory sensitivities and neurodivergent children who are considered a flight risk often do not qualify for disabled parking permits and so having dedicated parking for neurodivergent people within close proximity to their destination will be hugely beneficial in improving safety and accessibility to the town and local services."

As part of the campaign, Neurodiversity Navan will also roll out their symbol which can be worn as a lanyard either by neurodivergent people, allowing the community to understand that some accommodations may be required. They will also work with local businesses and community venues to encourage understanding of the small but meaningful accommodations that can be implemented to support the neurodivergent community.

This initiative is already underway with the introduction of sensory hours in Navan library from 2 to 4pm each Saturday. Navan library will facilitate a dedicated sensory space, with sensory tool kits available to ease any overwhelm experienced by neurodivergent people upon arrival to the library.

There will also be sensory equipment and specialised toys that parents can borrow to support their neurodivergent child; social stories and videos are also available on Neurodiversity Navan's instagram page and the Navan library website to improve a neurodivergent person's expectations of a potentially difficult or ambiguous activity.

Neurodiversity Navan is a new community support group founded by a parent of a neurodivergent child, Eva Burke, with ambitions to improve the daily lives of neurodivergent children and their families within the community.

Cllr Eddie Fennessy said: "I fully support the call for nuerodiverse parking spaces. We have a lot of nuerodiverse people in our community and as a local authority it is incumbent upon us to provide the infrastructure required to make their lives easier.”