Dignity in disability is priceless but this waste of money is a scandal

Last year we shelled out €900m to provide residential services for 8,000 people with an intellectual disability, writes Fergus Finlay

I’VE more or less decided what hotel I want to live in if I get a long-term disability, especially if I acquire a learning disability. In that unfortunate circumstance, when I won’t be able to find work because of my disability, the State is willing to pay me a modest weekly allowance. And on top of that, the State will take responsibility for my residential needs. So all I have to do is pick the hotel I want.

Now, mind you, under most current arrangements, the State, or a service provider working on its behalf, will want me to pay a significant proportion of my modest allowance towards the cost of that residential care. I understand that – there is no reason why I shouldn’t be able to pay whatever I can afford for a nice, safe, comfortable place to live – the sort of place that I can call home.