Independent living - Village Magazine

March 2016 2 1

marks another anniversary,

the 20th anniversary of a

‘StrategyforEquality’.Thiswasthereportof

theCommissionontheStatusofPeoplewith

Disabilities.Theirtaskwastoestablishwhat

lifewaslikeforpeoplewithdisabilitiesinIre-

landandtopreparearoadmaptoequalityfor

peoplewithdisabilities.Beforedecidingonthe

appropriatenessofanycelebrations,itistimely

toaskaquestion:hasIrelandbecomemore

equalforpeoplewithdisabilities?

TheCommissiontookwhatitdescribedatthe

timeas“theunusualstep”ofconsultingwith

people about their ‘lived’ experiences. It

reportedthatpeoplewithdisabilitiesexperi-

encedoutdatedsocialandeconomicpolicies

andpublicattitudes,andpointedto“justiable

anger”feltbypeoplewithdisabilitiesandtheir

families.Intheinterveningyearsamultitudeof

lawsandpolicieshavebeenintroducedbutthe

questionremains.Letmestateitagain:has

Ireland become more equal for people with

disabilities?

AcursorylookattheStrategyandsubse-

quentdevelopmentswouldsuggestthatquite

alothasbeenachievedonmanyofitsrecom-

mendations. A National Disability Authority

(NDA)hasbeenestablished,aDisabilityAct

waspassedintolaw,aNationalAdvocacySer-

vice was established, and a swathe of

legislationwasbroughtintoforceonequality,

assisteddecision-makingandeducation.How-

ever,ifyoudigalittledeeper,thereisadifferent

storytobetold.Mostofthesemeasureswere

poorlythoughtoutorhalf-implemented.

TheDisabilityAct2005createdlittlebyway

of the rights-based legislation envisaged.

Insteaditprovidedabasicrighttoapersonwith

disabilitiestoanassessmentofneed.However,

norightstoservicesfollowonfromthatassess-

ment.Eventhislimited‘right’toanassessment

hasbeenonlypartlycommencedandcurrently

justcatersforchildren.

The Strategy envisaged an independent

advocateforpeoplewithdisabilities.In2007

theCitizensInformationActwaspassed.This

providedfor“PersonalAdvocates”withstatu-

toryandwide-rangingpowers.Fouryearslater

a limited non-statutory service called the

NationalAdvocacyServicewascommenced.A

totalof35advocatesoperateacrossacountry

wherethereareanestimated600,000people

withdisabilities.

TheEducationforPeoplewithSpecialEduca-

tional Needs Act 2004 has been stalled

indenitely.Thismeansthatchildreninmain-

stream schools struggle to get educational

supports.

Successive Governments have failed to

addresstheissueofthecostofdisability.Many

ofthemanifestosfortherecentelectionused

theterm“costofdisability”todescribeplans

togivepeopleanextrateneuroontheirwelfare

payment.Thisisaregrettableapproach.Cost

ofDisabilitydemandsthananincreaseinwel-

farepayments.Itrequiresagenuinerecognition

thathavingadisabilitycanbeexpensiveand

movingtoalleviatethatadditionalexpense.

TheStrategyrecommendedthattheDepart-

mentofEnvironmentdevelopapolicywith“the

rightofpeoplewithdisabilitiestoliveasinde-

pendentlyaspossible”asitsaim.In2011the

‘CongregatedSettings’reportwaspublished

bytheHSE,theagencyresponsibleforcareser-

vices.Thiswaspremisedonmovingpeople

withdisabilitiesbackintothecommunity.Pro-

gressonthisambitionhasbeenunacceptably

poor.TheFineGaelmanifestofortherecent

electionincludesatargetfor1/3ofresidentsto

movebackintothecommunityby2021,three

yearsaftertheinitialdeadlineformovingall

residents.Thisisanacknowledgementthatthe

policyhasfailedandthatagenerationofpeople

willprobablydieininstitutions.

TheStrategystatedthatfullmentthrough

relationships and sexuality is a basicright.

Since1993,thecriminallawhascastalegal

shadowoversexandpeoplewithdisabilities,

particularlythosewithintellectualdisabilities

ormentalillness.Thelawhasprovidedaneasy

excusetoopt-outofprovidingsexeducation

thatwouldstrengthentheirabilitytoprotect

themselvesandpossiblyopenthedoortoaful-

lling,intimaterelationship.

Thisisableaklandscape,butit’snotallneg-

ative.Wearebeginningtowintheideological

battle.Conceptsofperson-centredness,inde-

pendentlivingandautonomyarecreepinginto

theparlanceofthebodypolitic.Thebattlenow

mustbetogetourpartiallycommencedlegisla-

tion fully implemented. This will involve

resourcesinmanycasesandachangeinculture

inothers.Anymarkingofthis20thanniversary

ofthe‘StrategyforEquality’mustreectthat

notmuchhaschangedandmustposethechal-

lengetondthepoliticalwillforequality.We

haveallthetoolsatourdisposal.

Sarah Lennon is Training and Development

Ofﬁcer with Inclusion Ireland

Independent living

Not much has changed in 20 years for people

with disabilities though autonomy is creeping

into the discourse

by sarah lennon

The Fine Gael manifesto

includes a target for 1/3

of residents to move

back into the community

by 2021, implying a

generation of people will

die in institutions

2016