Sir, – Thanks are due to Fiachra Gallagher for the article “‘I’m not disabled enough’: Single-arm amputees can’t access disabled drivers’ scheme” (News, May 27th).
My late father Jim Carr from Carnmore in Co Galway lost his left hand in a thrashing machine accident on the family farm at the age of 14 and ended up with an amputation after surgery back to his wrist.
As a result of this my father was no longer able for farm work and was brought into Galway to be reared by his beloved sister Lizzie and her husband Michael Kelly.
Having left school at 10 years of age to work on the farm, Dad was sent back to primary school in Carnmore for one year to sit his Primary Certificate under the watchful care of Máirtín Ó Cadhain and then to secondary school in Galway where he did first year, Inter Cert and Leaving Cert in three years. Br Tadgh Leonard took a special interest in Dad as he was not playing hurling or football. Dad took up handball and was very able and determined at it and won medals for his endeavours.
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He was ill for the Leaving Cert and sat the Matriculation Exam and entered University College Galway and qualified in civil engineering in 1948.
Despite many job applications (after an initial temporary job with Merlin Park Hospital) no employer would interview him once they saw the artificial hand.
As a result of this, his sister got a clamp made that would go over the T-handle of a shovel so he could get a job labouring in a worst-case scenario.
Dad made the decision to emigrate to London and join his brother Tim in the building trade.
I asked my father how he felt about emigration and he stated that he was scared as he put his little brown case under his stiff arm and alighted the train in London.
He saw hundreds of men with multiple limbs missing after the war and he deemed his own disposition to be a minor problem.
Dad started work as a labourer but came to the attention of the foreman about drainage issues and Dad was more than able to solve the problem. He became site engineer and was involved in major building programs in Coventry and Wolverhampton before returning to Dublin and taking up a temporary job in Dublin Corporation Planning Department where he remained until retirement in May 1990. He passed away in December 1990 aged 65 years.
Dad was the first amputee to qualify as an engineer in Ireland and as a family we are immensely proud of all he achieved despite his handicap.
Dad passed his driving test in England and had a full licence. In 1969 he was at a Garda checkpoint and asked to produce his licence which he duly did. He was advised by a very kind garda that his licence was incorrect and he should have a disabled licence.
He was advised to make his way to Blessington Garda Station where he was asked to immediately sit a driving test in the presence of the sergeant and duly passed whereby his licence was amended to a disabled driver’s licence.
Every time Dad changed his car a steering knob was moved from the old car and the the knob of the gear stick was shaved to allow an egg-cup knob on Dad’s artificial hand to fit over the gear stick.
Despite possessing a disabled driver’s licence, Dad did not qualify for any tax relief or assistance because he did not have sufficient limb loss.
Your article has highlighted an issue for a disabled community, which has been discriminated against for far too long.
I hope the Government and the relevant Minister will bring forward legislation to correct this matter once and for all. – Yours, etc,
JIM CARR (jnr),
Milltown,
Dublin 6.