Disability groups demonstrate in Mansion House

DISABILITY groups protested last night in the room where the first Dáil affirmed the “equal right and equal opportunity” of every citizen.

But at the Mansion House in Dublin, the present Government was criticised for cutbacks that created “an acceptable level of misery” for the disabled.

The lack of increases in funding in the last budget means that promised services have not materialised and existing ones are under severe financial pressure.

“There’s a gap between the money the Government supply and the money which is needed to satisfy the demand. They’re happy to have that gap. They’re happy because as far as they’re concerned, there is such a thing as an acceptable level of misery,” said Seamus Greene of the Irish Autism Alliance.

“But people are more important than jet planes. People are more important than car parks. People are more important than electoral success,” he said.

Along with the disability groups, Amnesty International and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) also protested about the treatment of disabled people.

“People with disabilities should not have to accept second class treatment. We will continue to support all those working in the area of disabilities to achieve their entitlement to a rights based Bill,” said ICCL Director Aisling Reidy.

NAMHI, the organisation for people with intellectual disabilities, said the 2,500 strong waiting list for day, respite and residential care would continue to grow because of Government cutbacks. It said the situation is particularly worrying for elderly parents who have to care for disabled sons and daughters.

“We now know that school leavers with disabilities will have no training or workshop places come this September, and will face the prospect of sitting at home,” said general secretary Deirdre Carroll.

Since 1997, 188 million has been invested in services for people with intellectual disabilities. Disability groups said many of the 350,000 people with general disabilities had benefited from the improved services, which were now on the verge of being taken away again.

“You can’t undo what’s being done. If people no longer have services, they regress. That’s wasteful and it’s waste being triggered by the people in finance who keep talking about value for money,” said John Dolan of the Disability Federation of Ireland.

He said many of the cutbacks were almost invisible “People are being asked to take less of the same home help for example. If they’re getting ten hours a week and that drops to five, it isn’t seen. It’s not like the wing of a hospital closing, which you can show people,” he said.