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
We have just seen the passing by the Dáil of the Sectoral Plans for six Government Departments - Enterprise, Trade & Employment; Communications, Marine & Natural Resources; Health & Children; Environment & Local Government; Transport and Social and Family Affairs. Much is expected of these plans of action on disability which chart the course on disability related issues for each department in a fairly detailed way.
PwDI has seen these plans transformed since they were first published in September 2004. That transformation reflects the very hard analytical and lobbying work done by PwDI and our colleagues in the disability sector.
The consultation process marked a ‘first’in terms of the formation of public policy in this country. It was a very genuine and thorough process during which senior civil servants and Government Ministers, including the Taoiseach, listened carefully and took on board the concerns of the sector. I am pleased to publicly acknowledge that.
Much is now expected of these plans and rightly so. However, there is no time for us to rest on our laurels. The challenge now is largely about implementation and particularly effective co-ordination across Government Departments, something that has never before been implemented successfully. Historically there has been a strong tendency for Government Departments to operate as parallel and autonomous universes.
Meanwhile, PwDI continues to grow in strength. In recent months a number of Networks have either been set up or expanded, including those in Cork County, Dublin South, Galway, Limerick and Longford.
The strength of the organisation was very much in evidence at our AGM held in Tullamore in September. Not only did we have a full house but the quality and diversity of the contributions marked a new stage in our development.
It was evident that the younger Networks gained much from, and were inspired by, the collective strength of a national network co-operating in common cause.
There are some very fine examples now of Networks working extremely successfully, particularly with Local Authorities and the Health Services Executive. At national office level we are currently working on ways of fostering and promoting best practice. In other words, we want to make sure that each Network does not have to reinvent the wheel. Rather, it should capitalise on the best examples of co-operation that exist within this organisation and attempt to implement those in its particular area, using the power of precedent where necessary.
In October we held a very successful cross border conference on the issues affecting young people with disabilities. We were honoured to have the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman, Nuala O’Loan and the Southern Ombudsman for Children, Emily Logan, among our guest speakers. We will have further news about the outcome of the conference in our next issue.
Meanwhile, work continues apace on a number of other projects. Among these are eAccessibility seminars to mark International Day of Disabled Persons and a democracy initiative aimed at raising awareness among people with disabilities of the importance of exercising their right to vote and making their voices heard in the forthcoming general election.
I shall look forward to working with you all in the weeks and months ahead to grow this organisation further in strength and influence, in the interests of all people with disabilities in this country.
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