Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I sincerely thank the witnesses for their contributions. The important thing is the amount of information encapsulated in such a small number of words about the challenges people face. The challenges being faced by the disability community include attitudes and culture, but also involve funding. There are many voluntary bodies.

We have had many attacks on the State from its foundation when it devolved education and health to the churches. In the 1950s and 1960s, it was community organisations that came together to found various organisation like St. Michael's House, St. Joseph's Foundation and Cope Foundation. It was the goodwill of people in the communities who came together to form them. It is from the communities that best practice is coming within those section 38 or section 39 organisations. We have so far to travel.

This is the final meeting of this committee, but we hope that, over the past four years or so, we have shone a light into a huge challenge that is facing society, not just now, but into the future. The presentation this evening certainly challenges us, as public representatives, and the system to the extent that we cannot even say we have much done. We have only scratched the surface of what is really needed to make sure people with disabilities reach their full potential and have the best possible life. It is more than 80 years since Maslow wrote the theory of the hierarchy of needs. We may have achieved a lot of that for the majority of society, particularly in the western world, but we have a long way to go in terms of disabilities.

I wish the witnesses continued success and thank them for the work. I hope there will be a disability matters committee in the Thirty-fourth Dáil because it is hugely important that we continue to shine a light on the challenges being faced to try to advance the lives and expected lives of people with disabilities.