Let’s have disability bill before the elections
After the last bill failed so dismally in 2001 we were promised by the Taoiseach that we would have a rights-based measure by May 2003.
We believe that the Government hasn’t got the courage to publish the bill before the local elections. We have had several commitments from this Government going back to 1997 that they would fully implement the commission report on people with disabilities called A Strategy for Equality.
The report had 402 recommendations and very few of these have been implemented to-date.
The ones that have been are of little use to people with disabilities, as they have a clause of nominal cost attached and are not enforceable. What we need are basic human and civil rights, and not superior rights as some politicians may think.
We all know of the shortage of resource teachers and assistants in the schools, the huge waiting lists for residential care, the waiting lists for respite and day services, the large numbers without any service at all, with no occupational therapists to visit people in their homes for access purposes.
Appointments for speech therapy and physiotherapy have queues a mile long. Is it any surprise that people with disabilities have very little faith in the political system. The time for patronising and promises is now over.
Tom Power,
Waterford Network PWDI,
22 Lower Main Street,
Dungarvan,
Co Waterford.
