Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There is an accessibility officer in the council. I have no doubt that the person in question takes their job seriously, but realistically, they are not making the changes that need to be made. I know from talking to people within the council that this person wears a number of different hats, and that is not what is needed. We need someone with lived experience and the right connections. We need a full-time position of disability officer. I proposed this in a motion to Cork City Council a number of years ago. I am being fobbed off because there is an access officer available. I am asking for a disability officer in every local authority. The current accessibility officer does not seem to have any role in planning. They do not seem to reach out to the disabled community. I have yet to see a public realm planning application from Cork City Council that fully takes into account the impact changes will have on the disabled community. I want Cork City Council to hire a suitable and qualified disabled person with links to the disability community in Cork, who will act as a voice at the highest level of local authority. While public consultation has a role, we cannot expect so much from disabled people. They have enough burdens to deal with in fighting for services, employment and supports. They should not be expected to fight for the right to move around their own city or community. Publishing accessibility impact studies prior to all public realm planning would create transparency and remove some of this burden. There is a lot of talk about supporting people with disabilities and including them. Actions speak louder than words. Let us make sure that Cork City Council, and every local authority, has a full-time disability officer who has just one job.

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