Plea over workplace access for disabled

Disabled people need a hand up into work and society, not a charity handout, a leading disabled rights campaigner said today.

Chris O’Donoghue, an Emmy award winning journalist with Channel 9 News in New York, called for better access for disabled people to enable them to work in Ireland.

Mr O’Donoghue, who is from Limerick and has been wheelchair bound since 1976, was the keynote speaker at a conference on changing perceptions on disability at the Stillorgan Hotel.

The conference, which has been organised by the Royal Hospital Donnybrook, aims to question the limitations of disability and explore opportunities for change.

Mr O’Donoghue, who was speaking on ‘rethinking rehabilitation’ said: “It’s about moving from charity and a pathetic kind of life to a matter of choice.

“We want access into all parts of society, to fully participate in work, recreation and worship.

“Just because disabled people’s legs don’t work, doesn’t mean their heads, hearts and brains don’t work.”

He said Ireland was around 15 years behind the US in introducing disability legislation and the country needed to concentrate on improving access and working conditions for disabled people.

“Access is first and foremost, work is a close second, and schools, they have all begun to make a move, but they’re still way behind much of the rest of the Western world.

“If you have these people counted out of society and being a burden on taxpayers, you have an enormous investment and no return.

“With a little access, they can make an enormous contribution to society - that’s what motivated the US to get in on the act,” he said.

Mr O’Donoghue also said the Disability Act 2005’s target for employing disabled people in government bodies was only affirmative action.

“It’s an act stating a goal in government bodies to give them employment – 3% of people with a disability.

“That’s just a target, it’s affirmative action, the plan doesn’t have the strength of law.

“Who’s going to measure this?,” he asked.

“If they’re serious about this we need somebody to be appointed to be responsible here, not just a good intention.”

“When everybody is responsible, nobody is accountable,” he said.

“You need a lead target person, preferably a person who knows what they’re talking about, with the power to get the co-operation of the different departments.”

He said serious questions needed to be raised about the targets, including where the jobs would be, how access would be provided, how disabled people would be trained for them.

He also said the initiative had to be extended into private employment.

“This is more than a matter of charity, it isn’t a handout situation, it’s a hand up situation.

He said the Celtic Tiger had led to a massive expansion in the country’s infrastructure and for the first time provided Ireland with the resources to include disabled people in society.

“There’s the means and the opportunity, is there the will?” he asked.

Other speakers at today’s conference included activist, actor and journalist Donal Toolan, Claire O’Connor, director of the National Disability Authority, University College Dublin lecturer in social policy Suzanne Quinn and David Egan, director of Bus Atha Cliath.