Ms Lorna McGreehan:

I thank the committee for the invitation. I have lupus, which is an auto-immune disease, and I am visually impaired due to medication I was taking for lupus. A wide range of problems affect people who have disabilities or suffer from chronic illnesses. Some of these issues are small and some are massive. Disability awareness training should be compulsory for all who deal with people. Not all disabilities are on show. I have been told that I do not look like a blind person. People need to learn and I do not speak for all disabilities. I also need training. Change needs to come from the top down. Every Department needs to have an ethos of inclusion, not just a box-ticking exercise. Training needs to be given to schools and colleges in order that this can become the norm rather than the exception.

I do not want special treatment but I do want equality and a level playing field. When technology is available but cost prohibitive, it is soul destroying. Grants should be given to the person, not the employer. No one should be indentured to an employer. If appropriate technology was available to all with disabilities, it would improve job prospects and career development. This should be dealt with by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. We want to be employed. Having assistive tech grants based in social welfare seems out of place. Help to encourage people with disabilities into the workforce has to be a win for all. Having a purpose, getting up in morning and going to work is so beneficial to a person's mental and physical health, disabled or not, but so many obstacles are put in their way. Having to take annual leave to attend doctor's appointments seems totally unfair. Annual leave should be used to rest but, alas, that does not always happen. Losing benefits because you are marginally over the income limits is not right.

I have always worked. I might be in agony and have loads of obstacles in front of me but I still work, and I think that has stood to me mentally. I am lucky to have supportive family and friends but additional supports are not always available, and sometimes it feels counterproductive even if they are offered. Should I burden my carer, my husband, with another journey? Should I use the last of my annual leave when I feel exhausted and could do with a day off? Financial pressure is increased tenfold when you have a disability. Families struggle, and then there are additional costs such as bills, travel expenses and medication.

The long-term illness list has not been touched since its inception in 1972. Lupus was first named in 1971. Why can this not be added? Surely, after 50 years, it is time to look at it again. It should not come down to finances whether a person with a disability can go out to work or not. Running a car is getting more and more expensive, but when you are living in rural Ireland, a car is a necessity, not a luxury. Only 24% of people who are visually impaired or blind in Ireland are employed. This needs to change. We should not be made to feel grateful for the scraps from the table. Some people ask, "Sure haven't you got a job?" I know I am lucky in many ways, but it could have been easier and still can be made much easier by letting me reach my full potential.

It is up to the members of this committee to make changes. I urge them to be our voice at the table where decisions are made.