Only 6% of children suspected of suffering some form of disability are having their health and education needs assessed within the statutory deadline of six months.

An Irish company has developed a wrist band to detect serious heart conditions.

A voluntary national training programme for special needs assistants is to be introduced, trade union Fórsa has confirmed.

You are never too young to upgrade your house, making it safe and functional for decades to come, says Margaret Jennings

Adult siblings of people who have autism or an intellectual disability need help to bridge “serious gaps” in the support available, according to a new report.

Parents of children with disabilities need a range of supports to maximise their academic development, a report recommends.

Question: Can you set out the initiatives you aim to target in the course of next government around the areas of mental health and disability services. 

At least one large local authority is not adhering to the law by providing an access or disability officer, amid calls for greater clarity on the use of the role for people struggling with housing and other issues.

Reduced hours or other flexible work arrangements could play a role in getting more people with disabilities into the workplace, research suggests.

A large number of state agencies, including the Equality Authority, have no employees with a disability despite a statutory target that they should account for at least 3% of their workforces.

New HSE guidelines on providing accessible services to patients with disabilities that took more than two years to prepare were launched in Dublin’s Mater Hospital yesterday.

The cost of disability is €207 a week for the average disabled household, according to research launched today.

Cork City Council plans to plough €300,000 into the development of the city’s first all-inclusive playground for children of all abilities.

Senior figures have hit back at claims key Áras staff members are having their access to President Michael D Higgins blocked by an aide.

Bullying has become a common problem for people with disabilities, with verbal bullying the most prevalent.

A breach of the pay cap for two special advisers to President Micheal D Higgins had been approved by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

ONE in every four parents would object if a child with mental health issues was in a class with their own kids, a damning survey has found.

A new study shows a hardening of attitudes to people with disabilities.

THERE has been a fall in public support for the rights of people with intellectual disabilities to marry and have children, according to research to be launched next month.

AN independent United Nations expert has warned funding cuts to human rights bodies is substantially reducing Ireland’s capacity to protect the vulnerable in society.

IF A 48-year-old man with Down syndrome tried to hug you in a supermarket, would you move away?

THERE is a “conspiracy of silence” among healthcare practitioners and women in general when it comes to mothers who have a mental health problem.

DISABILITY services will be subject to greater scrutiny in the use of Government funds if proposals by an Bord Snip Nua to make annual savings of €50 million are implemented.

The National Disability Authority is warning that people with a disability may be at greater risk of unemployment during the recession.

Equality Authority chief Niall Crowley’s resignation over a funding cut was a principled and courageous stance, rights groups claimed today.

THE National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI), has a strong mandate representing 500,000 of the country’s two million women.

WHILE the plan by the Government to merge five agencies, including the National Disability Authority, into one may seems like something decided in the editing and cutting room of the Department of Finance, it is not.

The Equality Authority is calling on the Government to let it remain an independent agency.

Government plans to merge five equality and rights agencies are being met with increased opposition.

THE National Disability Authority (NDA) has called on the Government to retain an independent agency to deal with disability issues.

GOVERNMENT-funded human rights bodies are in a fight for survival following a warning that they will be merged, downsized or disbanded to save money.

NOBODY in Ireland should have any issue with the role of the National Disability Authority (NDA) in monitoring the national disability strategy.

IN Gilbert and Sullivan’s Mikado, the Emperor of Japan managed to produce the most streamlined government in the world.

WE at the National Disability Authority (NDA) would like to welcome Donie O’Leary’s acknowledgement of the work of the authority in his letter (‘Why did disability agency sign up for the Italian job?’, July 16).

The National Disability Authority (NDA) is an independent statutory agency established under the aegis of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

SOME women are still too ashamed to admit they are pregnant outside of a relationship and conceal the pregnancy right up to the birth in some cases.

A new campaign to challenge attitudes to mental health will be aired today.

GROUNDBREAKING research on the strengths and weakness of the state’s publicly funded maternity services for women with disabilities was announced yesterday.

PAUL LEAVY was diagnosed schizophrenic at the age of 17.

FORMER Dublin Gaelic football star Dessie Farrell features in a new national television and radio campaign aimed at removing the stigma around mental health.