The Government must deliver on its commitment to people with disabilities by maintaining funding for the services they need in the upcoming Budget, a coalition of voluntary disability organisations said today .
John Dolan of Disability Federation Ireland said people with disabilities were feeling “really anxious, concerned and worried” about how the Budget measures might affect them, while those who worked in the sector saw a “total absence of ambition” on the Government’s part.
“It’s our economic sovereignty that’s gone west for the moment. We still have our social sovereignty and social responsibility, but there’s no coherent plan for how we are going to protect people from the cradle to the grave,” Mr Dolan said.
He said the sector was not demanding more money but was arguing that funding for the services needed by people with disabilities had to be maintained. Mr Dolan said people with disabilities had experienced “cumulative reductions” in essential income and service supports since 2008.
Further pressures on people with disabilities would be unsustainable, he said. “When Ireland comes out of the recession…their level of health and other needs will have regressed to such a degree it will be very hard to move on.”
Mr Dolan said 18.5 per cent of the Irish population had one or more disabilities, and that percentage was increasing as the population aged. He called on the Government to publish the implementation plan for the National Disability Strategy, as promised in the Programme for Government.
The other organisations involved in the coalition are Mental Health Reform; Neurological Alliance of Ireland; Genetic & Rare Disorders Organisation; People with Disabilities in Ireland; Centre for Independent Living; Care Alliance Ireland; The National Federation of Voluntary Bodies; Inclusion Ireland and The Not for Profit Business Association