Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Government continues to fail people with different abilities. The recent budget is the latest step along that road. The lack of respect shown for people seeking to access services or any kind of supports is very poor. I often say in this Chamber that some Deputies must have nobody belonging to them seeking to access services or get help for loved ones with different abilities because if they did, the system would have been fixed years ago. Instead, we have a regime of red tape and silly rules to make things more difficult for them and their families.

The mother of a young chap came to my office last week. Her child has a rare genetic condition that requires around-the-clock care. It took months to transition the child from a buggy to a wheelchair due to the backlogs and bureaucracy. The child's condition has now evolved in the months since to include seizures, which means that the wheelchair is no longer ideal for this child. However, because the child is now over six years old, they have been told he cannot return to the buggy, which would obviously allow him to lie down, if necessary, when he has the seizures. Because of this rule in a book somewhere, the child is not receiving the right equipment. I have written to the Minister of State about this. I ask her now to commit to helping this child and his family. All they are looking for are fewer rigid rules and more of a caring attitude. This family has faced a constant battle since their child was born to get a diagnosis, assistance with his care, a school place and transport to that school, respite care and access to basic supports. I commend the family and thousands of others like them on the fight they endured to make the lives of their children better, which is all any of us want. I know the Minister of State is doing her best on that but it should not have to be this way. Can we please do something to help this family? Implementing the recommendations of the Disability Capacity Review to 2032 report would make a huge difference and show the families that we care. I commend Deputy Tully on all her hard work.

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