A bad budget for the disabled
Most of the parents we deal with at Shine will be worse off by at least €1,000. and more likely nearer to €1,500 a year. There is no getting away from it, the disabled community, one of the most disadvantaged in our society, has been severely hit by a budget again. The savage cut on respite care grant is very hard to take for most families; nearly 20%. Only a politician with the biggest brass neck could try and put a spin on this budget that the most vulnerable in society have not been hit. The privilege of having a special needs child in your family is going to cost approximately €500 more a year at least.
The cut in respite care grant is indiscriminate and takes no account of household income, but this seems to be the thought process behind the whole budget process. There is no real attempt to try and safeguard the most financially challenged.
