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Cumhacht Vol 1, Number 4. Spring 2003

AGM Calls For Action

There were calls for action on a number of fronts to assist people with disabilities at the Second Annual General Meeting of PwDI, held in the Tullamore Court Hotel on Saturday, November 30th. There was a large turnout, with almost all counties represented.

The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Chairperson, Paul Hogan in the absence of the Chairman, Nigel Brander, who was in hospital undergoing an operation. The meeting was addressed by Michael Osmond, Director of the Barcelona Project. However, most of the three hour session was given over to debating the 37 motions tabled for discussion. Time constraints demanded that debate was brief in most cases.

Among the motions approved were:

That the Government abolish the means test and ensure that people with disabilities be treated as individuals when applying for benefits and entitlements (Cavan Network)
That the medical criteria for the mobility grant for people with disabilities can be changed (Mayo Network)
That the Government remove all restrictions for the Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) scheme and the VRT scheme be made available to all people with disabilities or their primary carers immediately as of right (Cavan Network)
That the fine for misuse of disabled parking spaces should be increased from €19 to €100 (Roscommon Network)
That the grant for housing adaptations be index linked (Louth Network)

In relation to PwDI, a motion from Kilkenny Network was passed; calling for a single membership application form but this procedure must be cleared by the Revenue Commissioners.

Kilkenny Network also proposed that the Articles of Association be amended to include members under the age of 18, their carers or family and this, too, was approved unanimously. A similar motion from Wicklow Network was endorsed.

The meeting supported a proposal from Donegal Network which urged that PwDI lobby the Minister for the Environment & Local Government to bring in the necessary legislation under the Commission Report on the Status of People with Disabilities, to ensure car parking for people with disabilities and to instruct all Local Authorities to enforce the allocation of 1 in 26 spaces to people with disabilities.

A motion from Monaghan Network calling for, where possible, each Network to have its own office, with the basic equipment necessary to provide information and support to its members was adopted.

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