DISABILITY discrimination cases could be taken to the European Court if a non discrimination clause was included in the European Treaty Review, a conference heard at the weekend.
Mr Eamonn Martin, chairman of the Disability Federation of Ireland, said in Galway there was intense lobbying for the clause to be adopted at the forthcoming Inter Governmental Conference.
He said he was pleased the Government had made a commitment on the issue. "The practical effect of the inclusion of such a clause would mean that for the first time disabled people could take a case to the European Court of Human Rights."
Mr Martin said his federation was awaiting key legislative change and Government reports on disability issues. The Department of Health's review on services to people with physical and sensory disability, the report of the Commission on Disability and the Department of Social Welfare's White Paper on the voluntary sector had yet to be produced.
"The Employment Equality Bill and the Equal Status Bill have been promised by the Minister, Mervyn Taylor, but as yet - have not been published," he added.
The conference, whose theme was effective communication heard submissions from media PR and political representatives.
Ms Mary Wallace, the Fianna Fail spokeswoman on disability said the continued refusal of CIE to address the inaccessibility of its services for people with special needs was one of the many issues the disabled faced.
She told delegates that public transport access, the continuing failure to provide enough day or residential care places for people with learning difficulties and the under funding of respite care services were some of the issues which would go into developing her party's policy on the disabled.
More requests for Meeting the Challenge of Equality, produced in January, had been received than for any previous policy document issued by the party, she added.