People with Disabilities in Ireland
4th Floor Jervis House
Jervis Street
Dublin 1
Telephone: 01 87 21 74 4
Fax: 01 87 21 77 1
Email: info@pwdi.ie
Dear Editor
Last year I took the big decision of changing my career! I packed up my knitting machines. I was a little tearful but sent my sincere good wishes to the people of Romania to whom we were sending the machines. Hopefully, they will enjoy working them and will make a little money.
On June 24, I began my studies for my "European Computer Driving Certificate". A Tutor from the National Learning Network (Galway) came to my home. With a lot of encouragement, I began the first Module. Each day I study for six hours and my very patient Tutor calls every two weeks, always punctual, neatly dressed and in good form.
There are 11 other mature students on the course. We meet every month with tutors from National Learning Network for a tutorial. We have a meal, fun, do a bit of networking and get to know each other. Almost 12 months on, I have completed and passed my tests in four Modules and I am enjoying my studies.
I am also coming to realise all the things I don't know! Physically I am much more comfortable.
The course has a duration of 24 months. Hopefully, by then I will be the proud owner of an ICDL Certificate - and open to job offers in Brussels? Anybody willing to carry my bags?
Margaret Heath
Mount Talbot
Co.Roscommon
Dear Editor
During the seven years that I was caring for my late wife, who was a wheelchair user, one of the most frustrating problems we regularly encountered was the assigned spaces for the disabled being occupied by able-bodied drivers. This often resulted in heated arguments when the offender was confronted. I still get very annoyed when I see the same thing continuing to happen. However, I came across two methods which would help to alleviate the problems:
*In the new carpark at the Airside Shopping Centre near Swords,the parking spaces for the Disabled are coloured a bright blue. In a shopping mall, when on vacation recently, in the Algarve in Portugal, I noted the parking spaces for the Disabled were a bright yellow.
*In both cases, there were no cars in these spaces as any car without a permit would be very obvious. At present, in the case where the spaces are marked with the wheelchair logo, once a car is in the space, the marking is covered and the driver, if not disabled, does not feel guilty.
I believe that Local Councils and business parks should be asked to undertake the clear marking of parking spaces for the Disabled in a manner similar to that as mentioned above.
Anything that would alleviate the frustration that wheelchair users undergo would be very welcome.
Yours sincerely
Brendan Downey
Santry
Dublin 9
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