Service concerns for those with disabilities

A report on the experiences of independent living by Irish people with disabilities has revealed concerns about a lack of uniformity…

A report on the experiences of independent living by Irish people with disabilities has revealed concerns about a lack of uniformity in services and dangers for passengers in wheelchair-accessible taxis in Dublin.

One of the report's authors, Dr Pauline Conroy, said the level of services differed from region to region.

In the report a disability consultant working in transport, identified as Dermot, says there are no wheelchair-accessible taxis in Dublin that would meet objective safety criteria.

"At the moment a wheelchair user enters a taxi from the side door and Dermot knows that this is not safe as usually there is no room to reposition the wheelchair so the wheelchair user can face frontward . . . Often these taxis do not have the necessary chair restraints and even less seem to have the seat-belt restraint."

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Speaking at the report's launch, Minister for Community Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív said people wanted to see services equally available around the country. He would raise the concerns about taxis with Minister for Transport Martin Cullen.

Martin Wall

Martin Wall

Martin Wall is the former Washington Correspondent of The Irish Times. He was previously industry correspondent