A campaign group for people with disabilities has called on politicians to make a cross-party pledge to promote the election of disabled candidates.
Representatives from the Disability Stakeholders Group (DSG) said there has been a failure by political parties to select disabled candidates to stand in local and general elections.
Dr Vivian Rath, a member of the group, said there is also a lack of support for disabled people to engage with local government structures.
Dr Rath told the Oireachtas committee on disability matters that disabled people face “many barriers” to candidature, including extra costs.
The committee discussed the participation of people with disabilities in political, cultural, community and public life.
Persistent barriers
There are 650,000 people with disabilities in Ireland.
Dr Rath, a disability rights activist, also said that disabled people face persistent barriers to exercising their voting rights.
He told the committee: “For example, during the 2020 general election, I voted in a public corridor upon finding the polling booth inaccessible to me.
“I carried out a short survey, together with Maria Ni Fhlatharta from NUIG, to snapshot other disabled voter experiences.”
He said 52% of disabled people reported facing barriers to voting.
“This included inaccessible polling stations, with many disabled people unable to vote in private as ad hoc arrangements were put in place,” he said.
“One respondent even reported voting in his car.
“A lack of information in accessible formats. Some survey respondents reported not knowing how to vote, or not being able to follow electoral debates, as a result.
“A lack of personal assistant support. As the 2020 election took place on a Saturday, some people with disabilities were unable to get (assistance) support and were therefore unable to access their polling station to vote.
“Of those respondents who used postal voting, 52% also reported facing barriers.
“Disabled people face many barriers to candidature including extra costs of disability, accessibility barriers including unavailability of Irish sign language interpreters, inaccessible meeting venues, information, transport.
“To make progress in this area, we suggest that all parties undertake a cross-party pledge to promote and support the election of disabled candidates.
“International Day of Persons with Disabilities, on December 3 2021, could be an opportune moment to launch such a pledge.”
Renee Dempsey-Clifford, the independent chair of the DSG, said: “It is our general view that no party is against progressing disability rights, but in our experience there is not enough overt support.
“We hope very much that all the contributions presented today will further advance this cause and that the suggestions made, particularly regarding the cross-party pledge, may be seriously considered.”
Not fit for purpose
Dublin councillor Carly Bailey, who has a disability, raised issues around diagnosis and service provision, particularly for young people.
She described the state’s new Assessment of Needs system as “not fit for purpose”.
She told the committee: “I have been through this process under the old system with my son.
“We had to fight for proper diagnostic testing which concluded that my son is autistic.”
She said her son was referred for an assessment of need in 2014 but by the time he completed the process, he had aged out of early intervention and could not use its services.
“Services given during that crucial time have a much greater chance of being effective due to brain development and plasticity they experience during those years,” the Dublin councillor added.
“He missed out, like thousands of children who are left waiting while there are not enough therapists or resources provided.”
