Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for being in the Seanad and I congratulate her on her appointment to this crucially important role.

I welcome the establishment by the Oireachtas of the Joint Committee on Disability Matters, which shall have within its remit the monitoring of the implementation by Ireland of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD. However, I hope that this commitment will be matched as soon as possible with the ratification of the optional protocol to that convention to allow for those with disability to make individual complaints to the UN. It is a massive shame that the optional protocol was not activated when the convention was ratified by Ireland in 2018 and it was a failure of the previous Government not to do so. The UNCRPD has to be rigorously implemented and enforced to be meaningful. The optional protocol is the most important instrument in this respect. Could the Minister of State please outline in the House the timeline for the ratification of the optional protocol?

It is estimated that around 13% of people in Ireland are living with a disability, with thousands of people using day services in almost 100 locations. Whether someone is attending day services for an intellectual disability or a physical disability, there is a real lack of options for people when accessing a day service that they choose or need. At the foundation of life for many people living with a disability is a desire to live well, do ordinary things and have agency over their lives. Day services are at the heart of creating and facilitating those structures to support this being a reality.

I recently read the New Directions report, which emphasised the goals and objectives of people attending day services in Ireland and what should be available to individuals accessing services. These include making choices and plans; creating transitions and progression; inclusion in one's local community; access to education, training and work; maximising independence; health and well-being; personal and social development; personal expression and creativity; having meaningful social roles; and influencing service policy and practice.To be a functioning society for all and when providing human services, there must be accountability, accessibility, affordability and quality assurance in all we do as a State in service provision. To achieve this, it is a must to continuously increase funding and ensure high-quality services underpinned by best practice and human rights. People must be central to this and this includes how services look during a pandemic. Covid-19 has had a disproportionate impact on those with a disability. It has impacted the direct delivery of services and access to healthcare and education and has had visible effects like the impact of further social isolation, disconnection and marginalisation arising from the national lockdowns. As we consider the impact on day services as we emerge from Level 5 restrictions in a short few weeks, we must be conscious of the reality as a society and as the economy reopens.

In light of former Senator John Dolan's legislation in the last Seanad that looked at changing facilities and accessible playgrounds, I thought about the messaging around lockdown. We have been encouraging people to get out but we still do not have accessible disability-friendly playgrounds for people to get out to during a pandemic. This is something we definitely need to look at and I hope to pursue and progress the former Senator's Bill in the next Seanad. It was returned to the Order Paper.

When I think about placing the individual at the centre of his or her care, be it a day service or residential setting, I think of a young man I have recently been supporting named Thomas Oonge and his family. He has been in a residential service for a long time called St. Catherine's, which has done outstanding work with him with regard to his ability, agency and personality. It involves getting out for walks and attending Croke Park recently, which would have been unheard for him previously. However, once Thomas turned 18, there was a threat to move him to a different facility, which goes against keeping him at the centre of his own care given that he has been in this residential facility for most of his life and it has achieved a huge amount of progress in his life. I can send on the details of Thomas's family to the Minister of State because cost seems to be the issue raised most frequently in respect of keeping him where he is. It is crucial that he stays where he is for his own well-being.

I wish to highlight a need for funding in intellectual disability community-based residential services. People with an intellectual disability and mental health difficulties who are living in the community without family support are extremely vulnerable. There are currently no residential community placements available. I also wish to encourage discussion on the realities of adults living with intellectual disabilities in Ireland and their need for community integration, relationships, tailored therapies and meaningful goal-directed activity, which, as it stands, is not being met.

Independent Living Movement Ireland also argued that for disabled people, the language and discussion around disability often reverted to a medical view of disability. Persons with disabilities are consistently seen as high-risk regardless of their impairment and cocooning was imposed on some individuals removing their agency and choice as independent adults. The continued exclusion of disabled persons' organisations from policy development discussions and the exclusion of disabled persons' voices from the debates that affect their lives are highly problematic. Will the Minister of State ensure that disabled persons' organisations are represented at policy discussions regarding disability services and will she commit to listening to the voices of disabled people in order that their rights and dignity are respected?