Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Every town, every street and every public service should be built for everyone. For too many people in east Galway who are living with disabilities, that simply is not the case. We have all heard the stories of parents fighting tooth and nail to get basic supports for children who have been waiting years for essential therapies. Adults struggling to access home care are left to rely on family or to go without. People in wheelchairs are forced to take long detours because a footpath is broken, a shop has a step too high or a train station is not fully accessible. These are not rare cases; this is everyday life for thousands of people, and it is not good enough.

Look at our towns. I think of Athenry, Gort, Tuam, Loughrea, Headford and Portumna; are they truly accessible? Try pushing a wheelchair down some of our footpaths. Try finding a disabled parking space that is not already taken. Try getting on a train without having to ring ahead and hope a ramp will be available. The reality is that many of our streets and services were not designed with everyone in mind. When that happens, it sends a clear message to the effect that this place is not for you.

Disability rights are human rights. Accessibility is not an afterthought, it is a necessity.

If a town is not accessible, it is excluding people. If services are not available, we are failing people. Therefore, what do we do? First, we invest properly in disability services. That means shorter waiting lists, real supports and funding that meets demand. Second, we rethink our public spaces because if a footpath, a building or a bus is not accessible for everyone, it is not good enough. Third, we listen. We listen to the people living with disabilities, their families and the organisations that understand what needs to change. This is not about policy; this is about dignity and about ensuring that every person in east Galway and across Ireland can live, work and move freely in their own community.

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