Bill ‘cuts number of disabled people entitled to services’

A CAMPAIGN group is furious that provisions in the Disabilities Bill will cut the number of disabled people entitled to services.

The Forum of People with Disabilities said the definition in the bill was extremely narrow and would exclude many disabled people from it provisions. The forum also disputed the Government’s claim that the recently published bill is rights’ based.

Forum director Mary Keogh said the proposed legislation limited the few rights that people with disabilities already have.

All of the services offered were dependent on available resources. “The person is not at the centre of this proposed legislation. All of the services offered are dependent on available resources,” she said yesterday.

They had wanted a bill that provided for positive rights that could be enforced by individuals.

“This bill simply does not deliver. It will not enhance the quality of life for disabled people. They have just built more structures and positions around a faulty system that has failed people with disabilities to date.”

Under the current bill, the only winner will be the State through reduced costs for service delivery.

The forum, which held its annual general meeting in Dublin at the weekend, has called for the removal of the narrow definition of disability from the bill.

The forum is a member of the Disability Legislative Consultative Group, established by the Government to consult with the disability sector on the bill’s key elements. As a member of the DLCG, the forum will meet with the Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Frank Fahy, on October 26, and will outline its grave concerns to him.

The forum is also embarking on a countrywide consultation process to raise awareness of the bill among people with disabilities.