Madam, - In Declan O'Keeffe's letter (June 9th) concerning wheelchair access at the Peacock, yet again we have a clear example of how Irish society, however unwittingly, effectively excludes people with disabilities from participating in many areas of life. There are a number of points worth highlighting in this regard.
Firstly, the question arises as to what extent the Peacock Theatre can make reasonable accommodation for wheelchair users on foot of the fire officer's report, as opposed to simply saying, in effect, "You are no longer welcome".
Secondly, current building regulations on accessibility relate only to new buildings and major refurbishments of existing buildings. While the enforcement of the building regulations is seriously limited, the proposed refurbishment of the National Theatre buildings will provide an opportunity for addressing accessibility features further down the road.
Meanwhile under the previous Programme for Government (PPF) a commitment was made that each Government Department will ensure that reasonable steps are taken to make its services and those of agencies under its remit accessible to people with disabilities within five years. As Mr O'Keeffe suggests, organisations in receipt of public monies should ensure full access for everyone.
Finally, this authority last year published best practice guidelines entitled "Building for Everyone" on how to make and manage buildings and the external environment for the inclusion, access and use of everybody.
However Mr O'Keeffe's experience highlights the fact that until there is adequately enforced legislation supporting accessibility, as envisaged for the forthcoming Disabilities Bill, people with disabilities will continue to be excluded from facilities and experiences that the rest of the population can take for granted. - Yours, etc.,
ANGELA KERINS,
Chairperson,
National Disability Authority,
25 Clyde Road,
Dublin 4.