Mr. David Lysaght:

I thank the committee for inviting me to attend today. My key word is "attitude". I was born with a disability and, like many others, I am well-educated. I have a degree and various certificates and am in the second year of my master's degree in UCD. I am also able to drive. The Government sanctioned me to be able to drive. I have travelled across the world, climbed halfway up Everest and been to Peru. I am not building myself up. Rather, I am saying that I am well able to do things, except one thing, which is get a job and have a career.

To refer again to attitude, let me give one example. I was offered a job. At the time I was, and still am, in receipt of disability allowance. I rang up the section dealing with disability allowance and asked how I would get off the allowance as I would be getting an income. I spoke to a lady who said I would need a letter from a doctor on my rehabilitation. I asked why it was needed given that I had been offered a job with a proper income and she said that I might not be able to do the job. I thought to myself, "Thanks very much for the vote of confidence." That is the negative attitude from the Government though. These are the people who are meant to help us.

Then I went for my medical with the company. I will not say its name. Before this, I had been working with people with disabilities one-on-one for five years through another organisation. I was a volunteer, which is quite common. During the medical the doctor asked me if I had any conditions and I said that I had some mental health issues. I thought that would be a problem but she said that it should be okay. Then I told her I have epilepsy but that I am 20 years clear and am able to drive. The doctor recommended, however, that I undertake "no lone activities". This means that I cannot work one-to-one with a client, which was basically my job. Therefore, with a flick of a pen by the doctor, I lost my job. This was a result of the doctor's attitude towards epilepsy.

My mental health is also affected by not having a job and feeling impoverished. A lot of people with disabilities are on the poverty line. I am also socially isolated because I cannot afford to go out with my friends. All this affects my mental health. It is also affected by the feeling of not being able to be part of and give back to society. I do not want special treatment. I just want an opportunity to give back to society and be part of it.