Tony Matthews has been for 15 job interviews and has had 15 rejections in the past three months. He is convinced he is "meeting a wall of discrimination" in the labour market because he uses a wheelchair.
"The wheelchair is a big factor, or a perception of what the wheelchair might mean in terms of the employers having to adapt their buildings as many don't know that you can get grants," says Tony (25) who has brittle bones disease for which there is no cure.
"They might be afraid if it's a job dealing with the public, what the public might think or feel about dealing with someone disabled.
"What they see is what they see but it's not actually what I am or who I am. They might think he might not be independent, have much education or life experience. But that's not me."
Tony is seated in a wheelchair-accessible cafe in Dublin city sipping a hot chocolate. His condition has impeded his growth and he is prone to hairline fractures as his bones lack elasticity due to collagen deficiency. Tony lives independently, with assistants to help him with his physical needs.
He was Ireland's top young magician in 1993 and has ambitions to work in entertainment or the media. He is also gay and formerly wrote a column for Gay Community News. Tony says disabled people are presumed to be asexual.
"Some people think homosexuality is a choice and therefore if you are disabled and are going to live independently then don't be gay because that's a hard battle," he says.
Tony and others with disabilities in the Republic are used to hard battles to get the services they are entitled to and to combat others' prejudices. But they hope their struggle will be helped by a statutory organisation set up to promote and defend their rights and oversee standards of services which will launch its strategic plan this week.
The National Disability Authority (NDA) will advise Government, influence public policy and legislation as well as public attitudes, and guide and monitor the implementation of a programme to make all public services accessible to people with disabilities within five years.
The NDA will prepare a code of practice and if publicly funded agencies or organisations are not meeting standards, it can recommend a reduction or withdrawal of those funds. It has no powers to sanction people or force compliance with its recommendations.
Actions can also be taken under equality legislation to the Office of the Director of Equality Investigations. The Republic's equality laws prohibit discrimination in the workplace and the market place on nine grounds including disability.
"One of the underlying principles is that we are moving from a medical or welfare approach to services for people with disabilities based on their rights and entitlements. That emphasis will underline everything that we do," says Dr Arthur O'Reilly, the NDA's director.
Dr O'Reilly identifies education and transport and income as three priority equality areas. If people with disabilities cannot access education, their chances of job success are diminished. If transport facilities are not adequate, they cannot travel to school, work or recreation.
It is estimated that up to 400,000 people have some sort of disability in the Republic, ranging from hearing or visual impairments to mental health problems and severe physical disabilities.
The number of people directly affected by disability, such as family members and carers, could be as much as a third of the population, according to Dr O'Reilly. A survey of public attitudes to people with disabilities commissioned by the NDA is due to be published shortly.
"That will be a very fundamental document," says Dr O'Reilly. "We are conscious that there may be a large amount of ignorance and prejudice out there. We want to measure it and see what needs to be done." Donal Toolan from the Forum of People with Disabilities says such research will be important, but that the NDA's lack of enforcement powers are a difficulty.
He hopes the authority will prioritise disabled people living in residential care, who are the most vulnerable. "To be effective it has to be proactive and independent and critical of Government policy," he adds.