Dr. Rosaleen McDonagh:

It is lovely to see Senator Higgins. To echo Ms Gibney, would any of the members want to be in a congregated setting with eight or nine people not of their choosing? I have lived in those places. One is too many to share with, let alone eight or nine. We have not really made any progress in that area. The concept of independent living has been really reduced, the thinking being that people should be thrown somewhere in the middle of nowhere and let survive. I am sorry but that is what it is. Many people with all kinds of disabilities do not have support by way of adequate cover.

On the broader context, various supports, including in respect of language interpretation, need to be in place. Independent living is not just about a building; it is more about a person's choice to live life in a way that is appropriate to him or her. Again, I refer to my own community. Disabled and deaf Travellers are currently living on a site with no water or appropriate sanitisation facilities, let alone access. The current concept is far removed from that of our legislators. To go back to what Ms Gibney said regarding silos, we cannot have ad hocindependent living notions for some of us. If there is to be independent living, it should be for all of us and it should start in childhood, with diagnosis and educational supports, and extend all the way up. That has not happened.