‘People with disabilities are being let down’ — calls for dedicated inclusion officer in Tipperary
There have been calls for Tipperary County Council to hire a full-time inclusion officer to help improve access for older people and people with disabilities across the county.
Independent councillor for Cashel Liam Browne tabled the motion at the June plenary meeting of the local authority, saying that the motion supports the Irish Wheelchair Association’s ‘It’s No Joke’ campaign.
The campaign is calling for a dedicated professional to be appointed to every local authority across Ireland to improve disability access to public services and amenities in the communities around county Tipperary.
An inclusion officer would typically work across council departments to identify barriers to access, advise on disability and accessibility issues, and help ensure services meet the needs of people with disabilities and older residents.
Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Browne said that the officer appointment would help with inclusion across the board, not just for people with disabilities.
“There’s legislation that covers this, and I think it needs to be enacted, I think we’ve got to look after people with disabilities in every service that we provide from top to bottom, but I also think that as well as looking after people with disabilities, this is inclusion, it’s not just disabilities,” he said.
Cllr Browne said the role would benefit not only people with disabilities but also older residents. He argued that local authorities need to provide services that support an ageing population and highlighted issues such as age-friendly parking.
“The thing here really is the funding, are we going to get the funding for this? There’s no point in us agreeing here and then, coming budget time, not having the funding, so I think that’s the most important thing,” Cllr Browne said.
The motion was seconded by Thurles-based Fine Gael councillor Peggy Ryan, who said that the council is falling behind on the issue of inclusion compared to other local authorities across the country.
“I think it’s vital that we have this officer in place as soon as possible, we can see we’re falling behind in comparison to other local authorities. Dublin City Council have already advertised for their post, it’s essential that there’s someone in this post of a significant grade who can assist people with their queries.
“They also need to be able to liaise across departments. We have an aging population and realistically, everyone is going to, if they live long enough, encounter barriers be they the environmental barriers which we know exist across the county, through the network of poor footpaths that exist, and there are unsafe crossings that also need to be dealt with,” Cllr Ryan said.
“It should be a shame on all of us that people with disabilities are let down so badly currently,” she added.
In an official response, the council said that they have contacted the Department of Local Government to figure out the funding position for the role.