Ms Siobhan Barron

1

• Ms Siobhan Barron
• Director, NDA
• 22 November 2006

2
Key Developments in Relation to Disability in
Ireland

• Equality Legislation and Infrastructure
• Establishment of National Disability Authority
• Education for Persons with Special Needs Act 2004
• National Disability Strategy launched September
  2004

3
Equality Legislation

• Equality legislation covers public and private
  sectors and prohibits discrimination on 9 grounds
  including disability
• Employment Equality Act 1998
• Equal Status Act 2000
• Equality Act 2005

4
Equality Infrastructure

• Equality Authority
• Equality Tribunal

5
National Disability Authority

• Established in June 2000 under National
  Disability Authority Act 1999
• Advisory body to the Minister for Justice,
  Equality and Law Reform
• Provides independent advice on issues relevant to
  disability policy and practice
• New statutory functions to establish a Centre of
  Excellence in Universal Design in January 2007

6
National Disability Strategy

• Disability Act
• Education of Persons with Special Needs Act
• 6 Sectoral Plans
• Multi-annual funding for high support needs
• Citizen Information Bill re advocacy

7
Disability Act 2005

• Key Provisions
• Framework for independent assessment of
  individuals health service needs
• Public bodies to make buildings, information and
  services accessible effective December 2005
• 6 Government Departments to produce Sectoral
  Plans
• Legislation to establish a Personal Advocacy
  Service
• Multi-annual investment programme for high
  priority disability services 2005-2009

8
Sectoral Plans

• 6 Depts
• Communications Marine Natural Resources
• Enterprise Trade and Employment
• Environment and Local Govt.
• Health
• Social and Family Affairs
• Transport
• Published July 2006 and now adopted by Oireachtas

9
Co-operation Across Some Departments a Legal
Requirement

• Health, Social Welfare, Employment
• HSE and housing authorities
• Environment and Transport

10
Sectoral Plan Transport

• Focus is accessible public transport
• Trains accessible by 2009
• Dublin Bus and other urban routes fully
  accessible by 2012
• Coach fleet fully accessible by 2015
• Improvements to air, marine transport
• User groups involving pwd
• Improvements for taxis
• Review of disabled parking

11
Sectoral Plan Communications

• Subtitling of programmes
• By 2008 75 RTE1, 42 RTE 2, 36 TG4, 26 TV3
• By 2015 100 RTE1, 90 RTE 2, 80 TG4, 60 TV3
• Obligations on eircom re customers with
  disabilities

12
Sectoral Plan Environment

• Systematic audit of all local authority premises,
  including streets/footpaths, parks etc over 6
  months
• Ten year action plan to deliver accessibility
• Develop new housing strategy for pwd
• Disability Access Certificates
• Review of Part M and site guidelines

13
Sectoral Plan Employment, Trade Enterprise

• Comprehensive Employment Strategy
• Assisting people with disabilities to retain
  their jobs after they acquire a disability
• Addressing disincentives to work
• Supports to employers to recruit people with
  disabilities
• Better education and training options that lead
  to work
• More in-depth support to people with disabilities
  to help them find work

14
Sectoral Plan Health

• Arrangement of assessment of need
• The Health Service Executive will carry out an
  access audit on all premises and will put in
  place a seven year workplan to improve
  accessibility of these facilities

15
Sectoral Plan Social and Family Affairs

• Social welfare payments
• The social welfare service will work with FAS and
  other bodies to offer people with disabilities
  opportunities to progress from social welfare
  into education, training and employment

16
Public Buildings

• Public bodies to make public buildings accessible
  by 2015 in line with Part M regulations
• If regulations amended then buildings to be
  upgraded to new standards
• Code of Practice - compliance

17
Public Information and Services

• Information to be available in accessible formats
• Services to be accessible
• Access Officers appointed in each public agency

18
Accessibility of Public Services a key element in
National Strategy

• Code of Practice on Accessible Public Services
  and Information launched July 2006 and to be
  monitored from 2008
• Codes of Practice to be developed on
  accessibility of Heritage sites in 2007

19
Complaints and Appeals

• Individuals can make complaints where bodies fail
  to comply
• Each public body to have an Inquiry Officer
• Published complaints procedure
• If unhappy with decision can take to the Ombudsman

20
Implementation of the National Disability Strategy

• Implementation of National Disability Strategy
  being overseen by Cabinet
• Committee on Social Inclusion headed by the
  Taoiseach
• Committee supported by inter-departmental Senior
  Officials Group