Blind facing double income cuts

CLEARING snow from the gutter is no more than a chore for the able-bodied, but an impossibility for those who are blind, and what people don’t realise, says Seán O’Connell, is that the blind pay more to survive.

“We’ve got to get people to cut the grass, to paint and decorate, to clean windows, in other words, to do jobs most people do themselves. If we need anything done, we have to pay someone to do it.”

Seán, whose wife, Jenny, has partial sight, is angered by the cut to the Blind Pension and the Disability Allowance announced in the budget. He is in receipt of both allowances, worth €196 each, but the budget cut (€8 per payment per week) will reduce his monthly income by €64.

He is annoyed by Finance Minister Brian Lenihan’s suggestion that people need to shop around.

“The German supermarkets might offer better value, but there is no help available there for the blind. We shop locally because people know us and give us a hand, but it means we pay more. Going to the local hardware store costs more than going to Woodies, but again our options are limited because we need help to shop.”

The European Federation for the Blind estimates it costs a third more for the blind to live and survive than the general population, Seán says.

The couple, based in Kimmage, Dublin, live a mile from the nearest hospital, St James, and must travel by taxi to get there.

Jenny’s health is poor — she has a blood disorder, asthma and allergies — and in the past few weeks, she has had to visit the hospital twice a week. They are not on a direct bus route so Jenny has to get a taxi at a cost of €20-€30 for a round trip. The current weather is creating additional problems. “Guide dogs are not trained for snow and ice. We haven’t been able to leave the house since November 26. I tried to get out on the 27th, but I had to turn back,” Seán says.

Their two guide dogs, Elroy and Jilly, cost approximately €2,000 per year, subsidised by a quarterly €40 grant per dog from the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind.

They are lucky not to have a mortgage, but their house, 94 years old, is in regular need of repair. Last year they used their savings and a loan to tackle dampness. The couple, close to their 60s, welcome the €40 fuel allowance announced in the budget but Seán, a diabetic, says it’s “a drop in the ocean” compared to the amount of fuel they use.