Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In the spirit of "Nothing about us without us", last Friday, I released a survey called It's Your Day, Your Say, to ask persons with disabilities what they would like to say to Ministers. As one can imagine, there were some heartbreaking and awe-inspiring responses. One young woman wrote to me about the disability allowance of €203 a week and how insufficient it is. Another respondent asked how public and private employers are measured on their employment of those with disability issues. Another person said to please let them get jobs and proper education. A further respondent said that a person with a chronic illness will lose his or her medical card if he or she chooses to take a full-time job. This means that it is often too much of a risk for that person to work in case his or her health deteriorates and he or she cannot afford the necessary treatments. These comments raise important and pertinent points regarding opportunities to work and study, and parallel issues regarding transport and infrastructure. Will the report address these issues and will that be included in the report?

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