Local and European elections. You’d think that, as a journalist, I’d be jumping up and down in ‘are we there yet?’ mode. The thing is that it is boring me to a stupor. The standard of debate is so mind-numbingly dull while most of the candidates are less than exciting too. I was dreading writing this article.
Thankfully one section of the electorate has done their homework and has come up with a set of serious and rational questions to put to every candidate. Take a bow Disability Federation of Ireland.
Here is the list of the three questions they want you to ask:
- What will you do to ensure that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and the National Disability Strategy Implementation Plan (NDSIP) are applied in all national, local and European government plans?
- How will you work to grant people with disabilities equal rights and access to employment, education, income supports, and health and social services at local, national and European level?
- How will you open channels for real representation, consultation and participation for people with disabilities at local, national and European level?
The Convention is a really interesting one as it was actually drafted and pushed through the UN by Irish diplomats but here is the thing. We haven’t ratified it yet. Go figure. The government are saying it will be soon.
The NDSIP covers government services up until 2015. DFI want the newly minted Local Councillors to take the plan and make sure that it is implemented at a local level. When you consider the following three facts you can understand why DFI are running such a strong campaign.
In Census 2011, 13% of the population, 595,335 people, reported they had a disability. Disabled people experience high levels of consistent poverty - 13% compared to 2% of those at work.
This means that they have a low income and have difficulty with basic provisions, such as a meal with meat or fish every second day or the ability to have adequate heating.
Additional costs of disability have been estimated to be a third of the average weekly income.
They seem like facts nobody can ignore. So when you get the knock on the door as you’re settling down with a cup of tea, remember your 595,335 fellow disabled citizens and ask those three questions.
