Sir, – Fair play to Seán O’Donnell (Letters, June 8th) for calling out some of the shameful examples of inaccessibility and the lack of basic respect for disabled people, in public transport, food and drink establishments and places of entertainment.
However, it would seem to be only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how we limit the independence of disabled people.
In December 2022, an ESRI report illustrated that inadequate personal assistance (PA) supports were preventing many disabled people from living a full and independent life. Months later disability rights activists held demonstrations around the country saying they were being denied basic human rights because personal assistant services were underfunded and underprovided.
Under the National Service Plan for 2022, the HSE said it would deliver 1.7 million PA hours. The ESRI study found the median number of PA hours received is 10, with higher allocations among those with higher levels of education, those living in urban areas and those with lower levels of “natural supports” such as family or friends.
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The desire for extra support for the workplace and education was, however, raised by many respondents.
My focused concern is on our second-level students with disabilities who wish to progress to third-level education, and the level and quality of personal assistance that is available there to those who need it.
A number of third-level institutions provide a range of disability services but there is a fear that they are unable to source personal assistants and that the service providers are in a crisis of their own and cannot find the staff.
Urgent action is needed to address this and ensure that the role of the personal assistant is promoted, seen as attractive and is well paid, and that third-level disability services have access to dedicated funding and staff for this.
These would be minimum commitments from Government to ensure the rights of children and adults with disabilities are upheld in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and that all third-level students can live a full and independent life on campus. – Yours, etc,
JOHN McHUGH,
Principal,
Ardscoil Rís,
Griffith Ave,
Dublin 9.