Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Tá áthas orm deis a bheith agam labhairt ar an mholadh tábhachtach seo. People with disabilities have to struggle more than most people to have a decent quality of life. Most of what able-bodied people take for granted can be a challenge for people with physical disabilities. In the brief time available to me I will mention some of the challenges people with disabilities have to face each day.

Accessible transport is very important for people with disabilities. It allows them to engage fully with their community, access education or partake in employment. The removal of transport subsidy schemes such as the mobility allowance and the motorised transport grants in recent years has had a significant impact on the quality of life for people with disabilities who, in the normal course of events, experience great difficulty even leaving their homes. Removing these grants has only put greater hardship on people. A new travel subsidy scheme was promised in 2013 but it has yet to be delivered.

Proper housing provision for people with disabilities is also a big problem and represents a significant issue for many. We recently signed up to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The convention specifically provides for people with disabilities to live independently in their communities. Proper funding must be provided for housing adaptations and extensions, in tandem with the necessary wrap-around health and social supports which will allow people with disabilities to live independently in their communities. We must give our citizens with disabilities the right to live independently. We want a society that values inclusion, not exclusion.

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