Dr. Rosaleen McDonagh:

We hear about young professionals, non-disabled, who are living at home with their families into their 30s and 40s. We also hear of people, particularly women, in their 50s and 60s who are renting. We never hear the narrative around that experience for disabled people. We are either shoved into overcrowded nursing homes or some of us have a minimum of two or three hours of personal assistance support throughout the day.

That might mean an hour in the morning, a half hour at lunchtime and half an hour at bedtime. I have not met anyone live a life like that. Then there are problems around the housing. It gets more intense and more dangerous and people are more vulnerable when we move outside Dublin where access to appropriate housing is less. Not to overstate the obvious, but there are wasted lives. These are people in their early 20s who should be out working, living, having productive, happy lives and having opportunities.