The hallway of an Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) branch in Portlaoise is lined with black and white photographs of smiling service users past and present.
A portion of the 42 branch members who attend this community centre can be heard talking and laughing in a room at the end of the hall.
A short time later, the mood within the room has changed dramatically, becoming thick with frustration as those living with disabilities took part in a general election hustings.
Local representatives were invited, five of whom attended, including Brian Stanley, the former Sinn Féin TD who is running in the election as an Independent, and his wife, Sinn Féin Cllr Caroline Dwane-Stanley. Also present were Fine Gael Cllr Barry Walsh and Independent candidates Aisling Moran and Elaine Mulally.
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Patrick Whelan, a wheelchair user and staff member tells them that “not one person in the Dáil is in a wheelchair”.
Whelan, backed by others in the room, suggests that politicians should use a wheelchair to see what it is like to live in the Republic with a disability.
Cllr Walsh reveals that he did just that.
Asked by those in the room how he felt after living in their shoes for a few hours, Walsh says he saw things differently. “It opens your eyes, I was surprised by the amount of obstacles that you face.”
While local issues are discussed, such as hazardous footpaths on the main street, the cost of living with a disability, accessible housing and transport are the clear issues of concern in the lead-up to the general election.
Tommy White, a 52-year-old who was left paralysed from the chest down after a fall 10 years ago, says he struggles to live on his weekly disability payment.
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After receiving everything to which he is entitled, he works it out at about €295 a week, and laughs when asked if he is left with any money at the end of the month. “I’m totally skint,” he says. “It’s very hard actually to make ends meet. I live on my own and the support I get from the disability payment is just not enough.”
Like others in the room, White requires heating most of the year, as it is difficult to keep his lower body warm due to immobility. His house in Stradbally, which he adapted using savings, costs a “fortune” to heat, he says, describing the €33 weekly fuel allowance, which he receives for six months of the year, as “inadequate”.
He “confines” himself to one room which he heats during the winter months to save money, he says, and still “barely” keeps his head above water.
Noting that those living with disabilities face extra costs of between €9,500 and €11,700 per year according to the 2021 Government-commissioned Cost of Disability report, he says those in power following the election must “rethink” and overhaul disability payments.
“I have zero left at the end of the month,” he says. “I haven’t gone on a holiday since 2014.” He has even had to choose heating over food “a few times” as he could not afford both.
Meanwhile, a lack of accessible housing is mentioned on several occasions, with some remarking how local houses have steps to the front door, bathtubs, and door frames not wide enough to fit some wheelchairs.
Those with disabilities are not considered when it comes to the design and construction of new homes, according to IWA national advocacy manager Joan Carthy, who suffered a spinal cord injury 34 years ago in a traffic collision.
She called for an assurance that a percentage of all newly built homes be designed and constructed for those living with disabilities.
Separately, transport accessibility is another concern, with malfunctioning ramps or full buses in which crowds stand in dedicated wheelchair spaces have often left those with disabilities waiting for the next bus, says Carthy.
Long distances to public transport, meanwhile, coupled with the costs of hiring taxis mean many remain at home, feeling “isolated”, she says.
Leo Kavanagh, a physically impaired 58-year-old civil servant, describes the reality facing those living with disabilities, from infrastructure to transport, as a “national scandal”.
Unable to drive, and based in a rural area just outside Portlaoise, he has to spend a “fair percentage” of his wages on taxis if he cannot get a lift from friends. “The minimum for a five-mile trip from home to work is €15 and sometimes I might have to get it every day, so that’s €150 for the pleasure of working every week,” he says.
Not openly expressing support for any party in particular, he advises those living with disabilities, their families and carers to read each party’s manifesto and to “educate themselves before going to the polling”.
Kavanagh cites 2022 Census data in which 22 per cent of the Republic’s population reported experiencing at least one long-lasting condition or difficulty.
“Disability is the largest minority group in the world, of which any of us can become part of, just like that,” he says. “Government would want to start waking up to that fact.”
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