Dr. Vivian Rath:

A range of questions have been put in my direction over the past half hour and, unfortunately, I will not be able to get to all of them. I thank Deputy Cairns for being the first member to attempt to answer the question I posed. Deputy Hourigan followed up, and I appreciate that. This is about what Oireachtas Members can do and it is constructive and helpful for disabled people to consider that. Another important step is to include disabled people in the process.

We can just look at the Oireachtas committee and its membership. Should we have disabled representatives sitting on Oireachtas committees? Yes, we should. Do people who sit on these committees and who represent people with disabilities identify as disabled? These are some very quick steps to take.

Deputy Cairns spoke about the pledge, which would send a signal from political parties about what they want to do. A similar pledge was made in Scotland and members might look to that as a template. We can do even better than that. A number of key steps are set out that could be taken. For example, there could be a pledge to ensure all political events will be held in an accessible and inclusive manner, perhaps using the universal design approach to meetings and gatherings. These are suggested steps. Members could ensure sign language interpreters are used in debates. There may be only five or eight steps in the pledge but this would send the signal that the process matters to the Members.

There are some parties, although I will not name them as members probably know them, that have taken some very proactive steps already. I am extremely pleased to see the Oireachtas committee is acting on the failure to enact the optional protocol. As members are probably aware, I am a member of the Irish human rights disability advisory committee, so I have a role in the monitoring of the implementation of the UNCRPD. The failure to ratify the optional protocol took the teeth out of the UNCRPD and took power away from disabled people.

We are skirting around the cost of disability, which has been mentioned a couple of times. Many years ago it was estimated to be approximately €200 per week. A candidate with a disability, like Councillor Cronnelly, or me, who was a student union vice president, knows what is involved with running for election and extra costs arising because of the disability. What can be done about this? We must start investigating the possibility of implementing a fund to support disabled candidates when they are running for election. That would be very helpful and aid in covering the extra cost of disability. There is a system around that which has been shown to be working very well. Perhaps if the committee wants to consider that, it could look to the UK, where there is a similar fund.

In terms of direct experience, the survey on the experience of disabled voters in an election in Ireland, which was carried out by Maria Ní Fhlatharta and me and is the only such survey of which I am aware, was the result of my own experience. I live in Wexford. Prior to the last general election, I made the returning officer aware that I would need an accessible polling booth. In the 2019 local election there was no such booth available to me and I had to cast my vote at an open table, visible to everyone as they came in and out, with many remarking "Hi Viv, I know who you're voting for." As that was not a pleasant experience, in 2020 I made the returning officer aware of my need. When I arrived at the polling station, there was no accessible polling booth, which is a lower polling booth that is shielded from view. It is a very simple request. Unfortunately, it was not met. In terms of options, I could vote at the table where I had voted on the last occasion, leave the polling station or cast my vote in the hallway. I cast my vote in the hallway. If some other voter, not disabled but from another background, perhaps a minority background, was told that he or she must vote in the corridor, what would our view be? Why then do we think it is acceptable for disabled people? These are the questions we need to ask. This is not about disability; it is about inequality. The Oireachtas committee comprises political representatives. This is a political topic. Nobody knows more about the politics of this than the politicians. You need to work with us to present the solutions and move this issue forward.

Senator Ruane made an interesting point in regard to widening the markers around accessibility. In terms of action, we need first to implement what is already there. We have guidelines, the UNCRPD and a clear framework for what needs to be done. We need to implement it. Second, we do need to widen the guidelines and the markers, to make them more open and to bring in the wider participation. I refer again to Wexford, my home county. The Wexford PPN disability committee report showed that there is no permanent structure in place within the PPN or the local council to channel the voice of disabled people on the ground. As everyone here will know, to engage fully in politics you must start at ground level.

I will hand over to Ms Costello who has had her own experiences with voting, which, I am sure, she would like to share. My apologies but I am unable to answer the remaining questions at this time.