UN slams Irish disabilities rights record

The United Nations is calling on Ireland to take action to improve its record on rights for the disabled.

A UN committee claims the State is discriminating against disabled people and criticised the practice of housing the mentally disabled in psychiatric hospitals.

Donal Toolan, from the Forum of People with Disabilities, has said his members are a mistreated silent minority.

"You have thousands of disabled people who have no legal remedies towards their experiences where they are being isolated in institutions, where they are living with low incomes. They don’t have opportunities to access society in the same way as other citizens," he said.