Mr. Padraig Hannafin:

Housing and transport were key factors in my moving. I am originally from west of Dingle in Kerry, which is a very rural area.

That was a key factor in my moving to Cork city. Certainly, for a person with a disability in a rural area, the opportunities are few indeed with regard to transport. That was a key factor in my moving to Cork city to try to access employment because transport would have been too great a barrier otherwise. Having said that, the situation in Cork was far from ideal in trying to travel to and from university, for example. No bus was available where I was living. No bus route was accessible so I had to get taxis in and out to college, which for a person with a disability, or even for someone without a disability, the expense of that alone was quite large. I am sure for a lot of people with a disability it is going to be an issue if they cannot get in or out to college. I know from dealing with a lot of students, in the national learning network, that this can be an issue they face as well. Trying to get to and from their courses can be a great barrier to their further education.