Rights-based legislation long overdue

THE blatant hypocrisy of the Coalition towards people with disabilities, savaged

Secure within the precincts of Dáil Éireann, Mr Ahern did not come face-to-face with the victims of intellectual and physical disability, their parents, friends or representatives of voluntary groups who gathered outside Leinster House to voice impassioned criticism of his regime.

Daily struggling to pick up the pieces, they are the forgotten people who provide basic services which should be the state’s responsibility.

If the Taoiseach was unaware of their seething frustration and anger, his doubts were dispelled by a campaigner who yesterday urged him to “take a long hard look at himself, because he is the patron of the people with disabilities.”

In a stinging rebuke, the Fianna Fáil leader was reminded that when he opened a new burns unit at Our Lady’s Hospital for Children in Crumlin, Dublin, he pledged to look after the most vulnerable people in society.

Yet his government did not contribute a cent to this unit, which was wholly financed by voluntary fundraisers.

Because of swingeing cutbacks imposed by Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy, respite care has been slashed to those who have to look after home-bound Alzheimer victims.

As a result, families worn out by this burden, cannot afford to pay for respite care so they can get away for a badly-needed break.

Other drastic cuts mean that from September no further training will be provided for young adults of school leaving age with intellectual disability.

And because there will be no supplementary budget this year, those fortunate enough to be in a rehabilitation programme will now be left high and dry.

Because they lack political clout, disabled people are unlikely to get the extra 35 million needed to address their many problems.

Yet this shoddy government was able to cough up €45 million to bail out Education Minister Noel Dempsey following his gaffe on third level fees.

They also plan to spend €30 million on a flawed electronic voting system plus €70 million on new jets to fly ministers around Europe.

Undoubtedly, most voluntary workers engage willingly in special interest projects.

And admittedly, the Government has made some progress towards rectifying the historic under-funding of the disability sector.

But people have every right to protest when the Coalition puts expediency before its duty of care towards the most vulnerable in society.

It should not be forgotten that the country’s present predicament stems as much from the Coalition’s own mismanagement of Exchequer finances as from the global economic downturn.

Nor will the electorate readily forgive or forget the Government’s reckless vote buying spree before the last election, especially when ministers were aware their rash promises would soon be broken.

Yesterday, the repercussions of budgetary cuts were deeply etched in the faces of the many disabled people, including Special Olympians, their parents and friends, who converged on Dáil Éireann yesterday to remind the Taoiseach, their patron, of his duty to introduce rights-based legislation.

Unless this hard-hearted Government is prepared to address the problems facing disabled people in a

meaningful way, their intolerable plight is destined to get worse.