Mr. Derek Gore:

I thank the committee for having us today. My colleague Ms Jean Hall will have something to say shortly after I have spoken. We are part of a localised, grassroots advocacy group named the Ballyfermot Chapelizod Disability Action Collective. The group came out of the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, and local partnerships that identified a disabled lady, a former member of our committee. Representatives of the groups got in touch with her to see how she would approach creating more inclusivity in the local area. It was proactive to seek out the professionals in the area of disability, namely, people such as that disabled lady. I was doing a degree in community and youth work in Maynooth University at the time I met that lady. She nabbed me as soon as she knew what I was studying in Maynooth. That was in 2017. I explained that I would not give her much of my time, but here I am, seven years later, in front of the committee. I am proud and thankful to be here.

How we conduct our advocacy is through performance art. We use alternative education through the theatre of the oppressed. We perform pieces of theatre using the lived experience of disabled people and engage the audience within that piece of theatre to give them close to a first-hand experience of what it would feel like to have a disability in any given circumstance. We do it strategically, in that we invite all of the community stakeholders and anyone of note within the community to attend and take part, thereby putting the onus on them to take note and listen up when we make suggestions for change because they have that first-hand, lived experience.

We also run public events. We are due to hold a human rights night in Ballyfermot on 23 April. That event is to go alongside a report we have done in respect of the UNCRPD from a lived, local experience. We are hoping to submit that report to the UN in order that it has a first-hand account of a localised, lived experience of disability.

Through our advocacy and the interactions we have with other disabled people in the community, their parents and carers, we get feedback on many of the issues for people. One of the continuing issues is the amount of time it takes for services to be provided, whether that is access to their homes or alternative medical aids, such as electric beds, wheelchairs, etc. There are delays in getting those supports. For example, one member of our board was waiting for six months for a simple ramp to allow for access to her door. She could not leave the house without assistance from one of her family members and because the ramp was not there to get her in and out of the house, she could not get a mobility scooter.

I was 18 years of age when I ended up in a wheelchair.

I had an incomplete severance, which is basically a severed spinal cord. I will never walk again. I was in Dún Laoghaire for six months. On leaving, I was told that it would be two to three years before my house could be adapted. I was told I would have to have my bed, toiletries and all other amenities because I was going to be on a bed at home for three years. I am thankful that I had someone to advocate on my behalf at that stage and who was able to achieve all of that within 12 months rather than three years. That highlights the importance of people knowing what they need to know and of people advocating on another's behalf having a proper understanding of what to advocate for.

My biggest personal gripe is that my disability never really affects me unless it is pushed in my face. I am a father and will be 40 years old this year. We all get more impairments and physical wear and tear from age but also from physical exertion, such as using a wheelchair, which is particularly hard on the shoulders. I have invested €5,000 of my own money in a wheelchair-adapted handcycle. There is no grant from the Government for that. You can claim a small bit back on your tax, but, if you are on a disability payment, you cannot claim the tax back. I have a bike that cost me €5,800. I got it so that I could partake in leisure activities with my young children. We love cycling. We love getting out. I get out as much as I can. I try to be as proactive and healthy as possible. A big part of that is getting out into the local parks, being part of the community and bringing my children to football. An obstacle for me is that, while I can get through on the wheelchair, I cannot get through the kissing gate on my wheelchair-adapted bike. There was a time when I went to go for a cycle in the park with my kids after purchasing this bike but, to get to the park, I had to go through another park that had kissing gates. When we got to that park, I had to go home. My two young children, who do not have disabilities, became disabled because of a barrier within society. It really affects me as a disabled person when somebody who does not have a disability becomes disabled because of my disability. These are just simple little things from my local lived experience. I am sure lots of people have experienced this because there are such gates in basically every park in Dublin. They were initially put in to address the misuse of scramblers but they are not fit for purpose.

Other things have come up. People have mentioned many of them. I will not repeat them, but that is basically what we do as a service in Ballyfermot. Ms Hall will have her say now.