Societal exclusion lies at heart of the Bungalow 3 exposé
It has also shone a light on the inherent inequity of a system that has been historically grounded in the congregation and marginalisation of people who are perceived to be different.
As expert consultant to the documentary, I must say the revelations of what was happening, whilst terribly upsetting and wholly inexcusable, are of no great surprise, as I and others have been highlighting the presence of oppression in such services for many years (Letters, September 2009).
Indeed, it confirms suspicions that despite apparently positive changes to services (non-institutionalised clothes, group homes, increased choice), there has not been a change in the fundamental societal inequity which led to these people being excluded from the mainstream of Irish life in the first place.
The instances shown in the programme point to a continuation of the marginalisation and exclusion of such people by society. Such exclusion is dehumanising and exposes them to subhuman conditions based on control and subjugation. They are, however, only the tip of an iceberg as the culture of control is arguably inherent in the current service model and as Minister Kathleen Lynch noted such situations cannot be ruled out elsewhere in the service system.
So, where to from here? It is clear that the HIQA inspection regime could not have exposed what was happening in Áras Attracta. Many such inspections can, by their nature, be anticipated or if unannounced, will only reveal what happens in front of the inspectors.
The idea of formalising the use of ‘under-cover’ staff and hidden cameras has been mooted but may be fraught with legal and privacy concerns.
I have been engaged in intellectual disability nursing and social care education for many years and the majority of people who come into such programmes are quality, value-based individuals who are driven by a spirit of altruism. This spirit can, however, be dulled during placement, by the experience of controlling service cultures in which the students learn to ‘keep their heads down and survive’.
Once this pattern becomes internalised in the student, it becomes difficult to break free from. It is imperative that Higher Education Institutes providing programmes for service staff address this issue forthwith and ensure that emerging staff are equipped with the resilience and skills to maintain quality standards of service provision.
It is also vital that the HSE and other service agencies implement proper governance systems which support such staff to blow the whistle safely. Finally, there must be truly independent advocates available to each person with intellectual disability whose role is clearly set down in law.
As Irish people, we are required to speak out too. We must recognise that we have allowed the values inherent in our Constitution to become irrelevant to the lives of many people with intellectual disabilities, and we have failed to stand up alongside those people who were perceived to be different to the rest of us.
What type of society do we have when we can ignore the fact that people with intellectual disabilities routinely have their human rights removed?
What type of people are we when we do not scream ‘STOP’ in the face of the verbal, physical, societal and/or situational abuse of a group of citizens because they are “different” from the rest of us? Something is fundamentally wrong and needs to change now.
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