Tom Clonan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Do not worry, I will make the drop very generous. I have actually measured the step out in the Speaker's Corridor. There is a requirement there for a ramp. This is the corridor the guests came up. I saw them out there with the usher. I have, on more than one occasion, encountered wheelchair users who are stuck in the Speaker's Corridor while the rest of the group go out and look at the portraits of Charles J. Haughey, Bertie Ahern, etc. I actually think that is disgraceful. We represent the people. This is an Oireachtas, a gathering of people, for the people. I ask that a ramp be put in the Speaker's Corridor. I mentioned the carpentry and the measurements because I took the measurements this morning and I could actually get the materials for that from Blackrock Building Providers. I reckon it would cost about €25. I could put that ramp together myself in about 40 minutes. I do not need a GoFundMe page and neither does Oireachtas Éireann. Can we please take whatever action is required to put that ramp in place? We have to send a signal that we care about people who have disabilities.

Finally, I do not know what is going to happen on Friday. However, whatever happens on Friday, we need to have a debate in this House about the manner in which ableist narratives have been given dominance in our public discourse particularly on the second referendum. I have heard some very high profile spokespersons for publicly-funded NGOs saying that disabled citizens must wait and must subordinate their fundamental human rights. It is as though they are saying "Disabled people: know your place." I have also seen some very high profile spokespersons on the Yes-Yes campaign, one of whom has recently been appointed to the Electoral Commission. There are serious questions to be answered about the manner in which this legislation was put through to begin with, and the manner in which this debate was handled. We shall see on Friday and Saturday. I will be in Dublin Castle on Saturday morning to comment on the outcome. We have, as a nation, as an Oireachtas, serious questions to answer about how we regard disabled citizens. We have worked very hard for the LGBTQI community. We have done a great deal of work on gender equality. The disabled citizens of Ireland live in abject circumstances. That has been reinforced by much of the narrative in this debate.