Disabled people bear brunt of cuts, say protesters

People with disabilities are being ignored and isolated and bear an unfair brunt of economic cutbacks, campaigners have claimed.

About 2,000 protesters marched to the gates of the Dáil to show the Government a red card ahead of Budget 2013.

The members of the Disability Rights Coalition said they are demanding their rights, not charity, and called on politicians to stick to promises in the Programme for Government, including maintaining social welfare rates, a law to replace the 1871 Lunacy Act.

Spokeswoman Siobhan Kane said: “Everybody talks about the big announcements on budget day but, for people with disabilities, it is a gradual drip-feed.

“Day by day and week by week, they are told a support or service is being taken away.

“People feel they have no control over any of it and it’s causing huge stress and worries for disabled people and their families.”

There are 600,000 people with disabilities across Ireland — 13% of the population — but Ms Kane warned many are ignored, isolated, and bear an unfair brunt of cuts.

The disability sector has already suffered budget cuts of 13.7% since 2008.

There are almost 320 people on a priority waiting list for residential care with SMH, Dublin’s largest provider with 2,000 day and residential service users.

However, its budget has been slashed by more than €11m since 2009, to less than €70m, with staff numbers down 160 since the moratorium on recruitment was introduced.