Dr. Rosaleen McDonagh:

I thank the committee for indulging me. I am doing a great deal of talking but it seems reasonable, given that I have a lived reality. That said, in order to contribute to the committee's analysis, I ask us all to reflect on the fact that Ireland has an appalling record and relationship with disabled people. I am thinking of the Ryan report, disabled children and all the issues with the mother and baby homes. Many women with learning disabilities were shoved into the homes. Those of us who were not adopted were usually disabled. In more recent times, there has been the awful experience of women living in Áras Attracta. All those issues have subsided in the minds of politicians and in mainstream Ireland, but for disabled people, those memories and realities go on each day that the optional protocol is delayed.

We also need a shift in our language and to acknowledge that ableism is a form of discrimination that we experience. Ableism has been a tool in how legislation relating to disabled people is written and how we think about disabled people. We see it in the media and on our national airwaves, so we need a much more dynamic approach with a stronger focus on human rights. Other than family members, if any, how many disabled people sat beside the members of the committee when they were sitting their leaving certificate or their finals in college? How many disabled people were on the panel interviewing them for their first jobs? That is very telling.