Mr. John Dolan:

In my opening remarks I said that I am comfortable about bringing my insights and thoughts. We have not had an opportunity. We can send out an email to people saying we have been invited to an Oireachtas committee and asking them for their thoughts. However, it is not that kind of an issue. It is not like asking if they think an extra increase in social welfare is good, bad or indifferent. This is a whole different area. It is going to take time to actually hear more fully. I have said a number of times that I have been working out of my own experience, observations and views. The one thing I would say is that, over all my years, the thing people most strongly mention and want is to be doing things and to be part of things. That is the life-injecting urge people have. It is in that context they get knocked back from time to time. For what it is worth, that is where I come to this.

At the start I said we are really good in Ireland at making sure people do not die from certain traumatic events such as accidents or whatever. We can look at the effort Ireland puts into making sure a baby is born and that it will be able to cry, and the efforts we put in for that infant to have a life.

There are babies being born now who would not have survived five, ten or 15 years ago. It is really what is happening after that, or not happening after that to put all the bits together. That is Senator Clonan's personal experience. There are people who become disabled during life, but there are people for whom every day of their life is a life living with a disability. We have to be very conscious of that. It is that normalisation. When everyone around you thinks the standard is such and such, so we are doing that, it is different from saying that is still not good enough. Where does the person on the spot stand up and say something is not right or not good enough? That is more than saying show me the rule book and the standards. That is the issue. It is a cultural issue. It is more than the rule book. I am leaning on Rosaleen McDonagh, and forgive me if I do, but I am thinking of how she expressed being marginalised for not looking, sounding or operating like other people "normally" do. An awful lot happens there that is not good.