Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 5 May 2022

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters

Situations of Risk and Humanitarian Emergencies: Discussion (Resumed)

Mr. Adam Harris:

To build a little bit further on some of those points, the language piece is one aspect and then the ability to self-advocate is another very closely linked to that. We must accept that unless we are willing to provide logistical support for people to get here, that is the first barrier for a cohort of them. We have to keep going back to that.

In terms of support tools and helping people to self-advocate and understand their choices, it is positive that so many organisations are beginning to translate materials into Ukrainian and to develop specific materials. It is also worth pointing out that we have not done that, for example, for people coming from Afghanistan or Syria. We need support and to think about this beyond just one conflict. That is important. Of course, building on Dr McDonagh's point, we also need to think about people who use assistive technology to communicate and whether people working at reception centres have the skills to interact and manage with that.

One further comment is maybe not particularly relevant when we think about Ukraine but it is a tool that could be helpful in the context of future emergencies. There is a proposal to pilot the use of an EU disability card. That is something that is now progressing at EU level. It is not a catch-all by any stretch of the imagination but it would be a useful self-advocacy tool for people to have in another member state. That is something in which we should be fully participating as it develops in order that our citizens and other EU citizens have that tool in emergency situations.

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