Mr. Dylan Nelson:

As members will be aware from various media reports, living as a young person is extremely difficult. Now I would like members to factor in a system that they as legislators are responsible for and which does not work for people with disabilities. There is no point in repairing it; the system is broken.

I will give a basic example. It is illegal to take a photograph on a bus, but it is not illegal to leave a disabled person sitting at a stop because there is a buggy in a wheelchair bay. I was trying to board a number 27 Dublin Bus the day before the "Prime Time" show aired. There was a buggy in the wheelchair bay. I asked the driver to ask the buggy to vacate this space. The driver told me it was first come, first served, with an expletive I will not repeat today in the middle. There were a few other expletives which I will leave out. I asked the driver why this was happening; he refused to comment, closed the door before I had finished speaking and drove off. I had to make contact with a friend of mine, Ciarán Delaney, who contacted Dublin Bus. I assure members it did not end well for Dublin Bus or the driver.

It has happened ten to 12 times in the past 12 months that buggies have been in the wheelchair bay and refused to move. Dublin Bus has confirmed recently the policy is there is a buggy bay for a buggy and a wheelchair bay for a wheelchair but this policy does not reach the drivers. They do not enforce it so it does not happen.

I have asked to meet with the CEO of Dublin Bus with Ciarán to find out why it keeps happening and why the policy has continued this way. As of this moment, I have not heard back from Dublin Bus. I am still requesting that meeting as I have had issues the last three mornings going to work.

About a year ago, I started a career in the Civil Service as a clerical officer. I got a new chair in 2020. About four weeks before Covid, the HSE issued me a new power chair. It is half the range of my previous power chair, which is no use to me now as I commute to work. When I get home in the evening, I do not have any range left to do social skills. I do not have that opportunity. That is one of the issues I face. We are all encouraged as people with disabilities to go out there with people, work to our full potential and get gainful employment but that memo has not reached the HSE.

I have been on a housing priority list for two years. What does priority housing mean? It does not mean a lot because none of the new-build homes are being fitted with wet rooms or any of that stuff. It is all being built afterwards. There is a building policy, I heard from Ciarán, going through the Houses of the Oireachtas and there is not one word about disability or accessibility in it, which I do not think is good enough. It is like people with disabilities are being forgotten about again by the policymakers in Leinster House and that needs to change. I am not asking for much, just to make life easier for all people with disabilities.