Council to become first JAM Card friendly local authority in the State

The Mayor of South Dublin County, Councillor Ed O’Brien, announced today, 13 October 2020, that South Dublin County Council has made a commitment to become the first JAM Card friendly local authority in the Republic of Ireland.

The JAM Card was created by NOW Group, a social enterprise that supports people with learning difficulties and autism into jobs with a future and their service users told them that they would like a way to relay to people that they need a little extra time or patience.

For those with a learning difficulty, autism, Asperger’s or any condition where there can be a communication barrier, the JAM Card allows users to relay to others that they may need a little extra time in a simple, effective non-verbal manner. The JAM Card is useful when on public transport, in a retail or any other customer-facing environment.

South Dublin County Council will be providing JAM Cards at public counters in County Hall, Tallaght, at the Civic Offices in Clondalkin and across South Dublin libraries. The Council’s Customer Care staff will also wear pin badges to indicate that they are JAM Card trained.

Councillor Ed O’Brien, Mayor of South Dublin County, said of the decision to become JAM Card friendly, “South Dublin County Council has committed to becoming a JAM Card friendly local authority to send out a clear message of inclusion, access and quality customer service. We hope that our commitment will serve as a catalyst for other important services such as community, health, educational, cultural and leisure facilities, and so on to join with us to create a JAM Card friendly county.”

Maeve Monaghan, CEO of the NOW Group, said, “We’re delighted to welcome South Dublin County Council to the JAM Card family and we congratulate them on being our first local authority in the Republic. The JAM Card goes from strength to strength across Ireland with major banks and public transport companies already involved. I thank Councillor O’Brien and his colleagues for their leadership in the field of equality of access and inclusion and we look forward to further take-up across the county.”