Services for people with disabilities at ‘crisis point’

SERVICES for people with intellectual disabilities have hit crisis point, it was claimed yesterday.

NAMHI, the organisation working to promote the rights of those with intellectual disability, branded the number of people awaiting services and income support “a crisis reminiscent of the worst days in the early 1990s”.

NAMHI president Stephen Kealy said the Government must prove itself to people with intellectual disabilities by funding the backlogged services in the upcoming Budget.

He called for Budget resources to implement the Disability Bill, which the group has already expressed strong concerns about.

“The Taoiseach said at the launch of the Government’s disability strategy that a multi-annual funding package will be agreed within the Estimates and Budget process,” said Mr Kealy.

“We need to see this money in the Budget for people with intellectual disabilities if the bill is to have any meaningful impact.”

NAMHI says it needs to know how much funding will be available three years in advance so it can plan services properly.

“If there is multi-annual funding in place for people with disability, then it is possible to plan in a very structured way at a strategic level for services throughout the country,” said Mr Kealy.

A process of multi-funding would take account of needs that were identified. “Every year we engaged in a process of developing service plans. The biggest difficulty is to convert these service plans into reality on the ground. And the biggest barrier is not knowing what sort of funding will be available to you the following year.”

NAMHI is unhappy with the bill’s failure to address key areas of concern, including its failure to ring-fence resources for the disabled.

The organisation calls for money to be ring-fenced to end waiting lists for residential services, by providing 1,500 new residential places over three years.

It urged 600 extra respite places for children and adults over the same period, and the transfer of some people inappropriately placed in psychiatric hospitals.

It wants an end to means testing of the carers’ allowance. To do this would cost €150 million in 2005. It also said the disability allowance should be extended to the estimated 2,000 people living in institutions without a State income.

NAMHI’s Frieda Finlay noted that €20 million earmarked in last year’s Budget for capital projects for people with intellectual disabilities remained unpaid.

She said this failure meant the necessary buildings in which to provide the services were not built. “That is the problem services face all the time and it has got to stop,” said Ms Finlay.

If services designed to allow people with an intellectual disability reach their full potential came too late it was detrimental to the young people. It created a second disability or further problems down the road.