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
The Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality & Law Reform, Willie O'Dea TD launched the PwDI Strategy 2003 - 2006 and the Youth - Beyond Disability report on March 26.
The attendance included Dr Maurice Manning, President of the Irish Human Rights Commission; David Staunton TD. Chairman of Fine Gael Parliamentary Committee on Disability; Clare O'Connor, Chief Executive of the National Disability Authority; Dr Arthur O'Reilly, Chairman of the National Accreditation Committee as well as representatives from a number of Government Departments. The launch provided PwDI with an opportunity to highlight its concerns on a number of current issues. This prompted a positive response from the Minister, who confirmed his commitment to enacting the Disability Bill before the summer.
Speakers at the launch included PwDI National Chairman Nigel Brander, Strategy Consultant Bob Perry, PwDI Chairman Michael Ringrose as well as Minister O'Dea.
In his remarks, Nigel Brander spoke about the importance of both the Strategy Document and the Youth report. He said the Youth -Beyond Disability report will form the basis for a major international conference to be held in Dublin Castle on September 2. This Conference will be officially opened by President Mary McAleese and will be addressed by a number of national and international speakers.
Consultant Bob Perry explained how the Strategy Document focuses on the goals that PwDI is endeavouring to achieve over the next four years. He proposed attaining these goals through lobbying, communication, training, research and promotion. He thanked the PwDI networks and all those he spoke to for their co-operation.
PwDI Chief Executive Michael Ringrose outlined how disabled people are suffering at the hands of some local authorities, who are rejecting applications for grant aid for house modifications. He described the plight of disabled people living at home who had borrowed money to alter their houses on the advice that the grant would be forthcoming only to discover that their application had been refused.
He added that the people PwDI represents are looking for nothing more
than basic living amenities, such as access to proper washing and toilet
facilities. Mr Ringrose concluded by urging the
Government to grant the disabled in Ireland a distinct voice in the next
round of partnership talks. "The granting of a separate voice to people
with disabilities in the Third Pillar would be a major step forward in the
giving of full recognition to this sector,"
he said.
On the Youth - Beyond Disability report, Mr Ringrose stated that the
areas covered in the document, namely education, employment and leisure
and recreation facilities, addressed only some of the many problems that
face young people with disabilities. He urged government departments, local
authorities, professional bodies and others to study the report carefully,
saying that disabled people "do not seek any special treatment, but merely
to be afforded the same rights as everybody else."
Minister O'Dea responded to Michael Ringrose's call for action by confirming his commitment to the Disability Bill revealing that five per cent of new cases taken under the Equal Status Act last year related to disability issues. He agreed that there are some barriers to overcome in the fight for equality, and added that he is working to surmount them.
"I want to assure you of the commitment of the Government to advancing the participation of people with disabilities in society. While there is no doubt that there have been some major improvements in recent years, we still have areas where there are significant barriers to full inclusion in society, including attitudinal barriers to progress."
Michael Ringrose who thanked everybody for coming and acknowledged all
the hard work that went into producing both documents concluded the Launch.
He added, "Unlike the Irish Summer I hope the Bill actually materialises."
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