Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I commend the witnesses on the good work they do. We know from the situation in Ireland that a person who has an impairment is more than likely to be living in poverty. If we want to be effective internationally and to push forward a programme for an inclusive society, we need to start with ourselves. We should not be talking about what other countries are doing but should do it ourselves because anybody listening to this meeting who has a family member with a disability will know the hurdles people with a disability face as they try to get the supports they need.

The groups here today are dealing with the poorest and most marginalised in society. How do their representatives believe Ireland can play a leading role in ensuring disability inclusion is at the heart of aid policy and the development agenda? If we had credibility on the issue, we could put it at the centre of our approach. Other groups to have come before the committee dealt with the response to hurricanes and climate change and it is important that the sector represented here today is involved in those things. How is this developing? It is important to think about how, if there is a climate crisis, one would contact persons who are deaf to get services for them. These are basic needs but they are often left behind in a crisis.

Disability sometimes comes from a lack of healthcare, such as is sometimes the case with sight loss. Do the witnesses work with national governments on this issue or do they work separately? What is the ideal approach? In many countries, basic services would need to be prioritised so what is the ideal model for what they are trying to roll out?

One of the serious issues facing those with disabilities is finding work and entering the workplace. We know that is the case in Ireland. Do the organisations present help people with a disability to gain employment? Is that part of what we need to do?

I was struck by the figures showing that 1 billion people or 15% of the global population face these significant challenges every day. It is not that the issue would be further up the agenda if more people were affected. I do not understand why disability is not central to our response in many of the areas. The poorer the country, the greater the challenges. In some countries, it is difficult to access basic needs, such as water and firewood. In such circumstances, the life chances of people with a disability are limited.

Dr. Keogh outlined some of the actions the committee should take. Are there other actions we could take? We need champions in the Oireachtas, which has a committee with disability in its remit. We need to keep the issue front and central in our lives. We all know someone who has a disability or impairment. We need to start from there.