Thousands march to Dáil to demand greater disability rights

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

About 2,000 protesters marched to the gates of the Dáil to show 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 with promises in the programme for government, including maintaining social welfare rates, a new 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.

“James Reilly (Health Minister) doesn’t stand up in the Dáil and say people have to organise their own transport or start paying for respite.

“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.

One woman left caring for her three elder brothers with intellectual disabilities has made a desperate plea for the men to be given residential care.

Aideen Pollard, 46, moved in with brothers Jack, 64, Michael, 63, and Barra, 53, in north Dublin when their elderly mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and went into a nursing home almost three years ago.

The men, believed to have special needs due to the Fragile X syndrome, attend a day service with St Michael’s House (SMH) in Glasnevin, but their sister is fighting for long-term respite care.

“It makes me angry that my parents raised the lads, asked for nothing, got nothing and saved the State millions over the years, and now that they need something, they can’t have it,” said Ms Pollard, from Raheny.

“It’s very frustrating. They need to be looked after.”

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

Almost 50 cases are urgent, 75 are adults still living at home with a parent over 80, and another 280 adults are at home with a parent over the age of 70.

But 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.

SMH chief executive Patricia Doherty warned that further cuts in 2013 will have a direct impact on services, with devastating implications for families.

“Very serious consideration will have to be given to reducing or closing some services,” she said.

Independent TD Stephen Donnelly said people with disabilities and their families are feeling increasingly abandoned by this Government.

“Any further cuts will lead to a substantial reduction in critical frontline services to vulnerable Irish citizens,” he said.