COVID-19 in the News

Information on Covid-19 can be found on HSE website. If you have recently travelled from an affected area or want information about coronavirus, go to their coronavirus page. 

900 ventilators ordered for use in Covid-19 pandemic. The Health Service Executive has said that 900 new ventilators have been ordered for use with patients with Covid-19 and some of those will be delivered by the end of the month. That is in … www.rte.ie 10 Positive Updates on the COVID-19 Outbreaks From Around the World

If it seems that your news feed has been flooded with nerve-wracking updates on the COVID-19 outbreaks, have no fear—there are also plenty of positive updates on the pandemic as well. So without … www.goodnewsnetwork.org

Solidarity is spreading as the COVID-19 crisis continues | World Economic Forum Local councils in Wales are recruiting “an army of volunteers” to keep in contact with neighbours who are most at risk and to go shopping for them. In Oxford, England, volunteers have set up the Help Hub to offer online support and reassurance to vulnerable people who are self-isolating. And, in the United States, artist Yadesa Bojia produced Facebook videos translating official … www.weforum.org

Fergus Finlay: Resilience and responsible actions will see us through Covid-19 crisis As we get closer to the peak of the crisis, we will each have to take more personal responsibility, writes Fergus Finlay. People masked up in Dublin as Covid-19 contiues to effect life on a quiet … www.irishexaminer.com

Launch of a Family Carer (online) Support Group

In light of the curtailment of many face-to-face Family Carer support services, and following extensive feedback, Care Alliance Ireland has set up an online Family Carer Support Group.

Open to all Family Carers living in the Republic of Ireland, this new online private group will be facilitated by a number of professionals with social work and counselling qualifications, moderation experience and will be supported by a number of former and current family carers who have stepped forward to volunteer.

The objectives of the group are as follows:

    • mitigate the impact of the sudden withdrawal of face-to-face support services that has occurred in recent days,
    • provide a safe virtual space for family carers to seek reassurance, ask questions, receive peer support and contain raised anxiety
    • encourage members to consider and create a back-up plan should they fall ill.

As of this morning (Wednesday 18 March), the group is now up and running at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FamilyCarerOnlineSupportGroupIreland/

This will be delivered through the Facebook platform, in a closed/private group format. Users will need a Facebook account to participate.

The following steps are required to join the group;

  1.  Login to your Facebook Page

    (To set up Facebook account check here)

  2.  Go to our Facebook Page Group available here.
  3.  Ask to Join the group

You will then be asked three questions:

  1. Are you living in the Republic of Ireland?
  2. Are you providing unpaid care to a family member or friend in their home due to an illness, disability or frailty?
  3. Will you adhere to the group rules, specifically with respect to protecting the privacy of the person you are caring for?

Requests to join will be reviewed by the group administrators (Care Alliance Ireland staff), and subject to applicants replying yes to the three questions, they will be allowed to join the group.

Other info:

Our group of 2 staff and 10 volunteers have been discussing group facilitation, content, moderation, etc over the past number of days and are confident that we can provide meaningful support.

We are aware of the privacy concerns that may exist. We have put in place clear Group rules and have modeled these on the very successful Special Needs Parents Association private Facebook Group that has been in operation for several years.

Furthermore, we have managed a specific Facebook page for the past 8 years – NationalCarersWeek. It has over 20,000 followers, 75% report being current and or former family carers, see here.

Please consider sharing news about this page with the families you work with.

COVID-19 Supports for You

COVID-19 Information for Families and Communities

The ILN are conscious of the extra stress facing many family members with regard to supporting their family during the current crisis.

Some families face a reduction in formal supports, closure of schools, loss of employment and reduced income. 

We hope to provide important updates and supports for you during this time.

                               

Resources during Covid-19:

 

Children:

The Department of Education and Skills has prepared information about Talking to children and young people about COVID-19 (pdf).

 

 

Community Groups:

COVID-19 Government Action Plan to support the community response.

 

COVID-19 Posters/Videos English & Irish, available here.

 

To support the community response to COVID-19 the DRCD have developed a suite of leaflets about volunteering, on supporting communities and advice during this time. Find out more here.

 

Irish Rural Link have prepared a useful ‘Protocol for Community Groups and Volunteers in delivering services’ during COVID19. Access the protocol here.

 

 

Essential Services:

Galway County Council has updated its provision of services during COVID-19.

 

Housing:

Emergency measures were announced on 19 March 2020 to protect tenants who have been impacted by COVID-19. 

 

 

Immigration:

Immigration permissions during COVID-19 have changed. Immigration Services Division has a list of frequently asked questions about these changes.

 

Information:

HSE (Health Service Executive) COVID-19 updates available here.

HPSC (Health Protection Surveillance Centre) – Guidance for healthcare professionals on COVID-19 available here.

Government of Ireland (Gov.ie) COVID-19 – Latest Updates available here.

 

Mental Health:

List of Mental Health Supports from HSE.ie, available here.

Advice on Minding your Mental Health during the outbreak available here. 

Jigsaw Resource to Coping with the impact from Corona Virus.

 

Online and phone supports: Face-to-face interaction may be limited during this period. There are many online mental health resources and phone services that can help. Check here.

 

Older People:

Information on supports for older people during the coronavirus pandemic.

Older people who have questions or concerns can contact:

 

  • ALONE helpline on 0818 222 014
  •  
  • Senior helpline on 1800 804 591

Advice for the elderly and those who need supports- Advice during COVID-19.

Information on how to guard against fraud and generate trust-Protecting against fraud.

 

Social Security:

If you have lost your job, or been laid off because of COVID-19, you can apply for the COVID-19 Unemployment Payment.

 

How to nominate a temporary agent to collect DEASP payments: An Post Temporary Agent Form

 

On 19 March 2020, DEASP announced that social welfare payments will paid on a double (two-week) basis. You can find out more about these changes.

The DEASP also have a dedicated COVID-19 Income Support Helpline (open from 9am-5pm, 01-2481398 / 1890-800-024.

All of our updates, contacts, links & info here.

 

Find out more about your employment rights during the COVID-19 restrictions.

 

 

Travel:

If you are planning to travel abroad, you should follow the travel advice of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

 

 

Volunteering:

Advice for those who want to volunteer- How can I volunteer in response to COVID-19?

 

‘Do’s and Don’ts’ of volunteering – Sensible volunteering in response to COVID-19

 

‘How can we get volunteers’? – Advice on the recruitment of volunteers for community groups.

 

If you are well enough and would like to volunteer, or are looking for volunteers, in response to COVID19 please register with Volunteer Centre Galway.

 

                                      

Community – A Disability Perspective

By Sean McGrath

Synopsis: Community can have a profoundly positive impact on people living with disability but current structures and vocabulary needs rethinking.

3 Key Takeaways:

    • 1 in 7 people in Ireland live with a disability and most of them acquired that disability at some stage in their lives. Any person who is disability-free today may have a life-long disability starting tomorrow. That is a fact of life.
    • Once you have a disability, “community” is a much harder thing to access for a whole host of reasons ranging from physical access to prejudice. For people with intellectual disabilities – be they congenital or acquired – it is even harder still.
    • In endeavoring to support people with intellectual disabilities, we as a society, take away the very things we ourselves most cherish in our lives. Most of these things come about through, and because of, community.

According to the WHO about 15% of the worlds population lives with some form of disability. According to the National Disability Authority of Ireland, 1 in 7 people in Ireland has a disability. That’s about 13%.

It may come as a surprise to learn that the majority of that 1-in-7 number represents acquired disabilities. i.e. once healthy people who became disabled people at some point in their lives. It can happen to any of us at any time and will happen to a goodly proportion of us at some time in our lives.

For anyone living with a disability “community” often means something very different than what it means to the rest of the population. For people with intellectual/cognitive disabilities – be they congenital or acquired (e.g. brain injuries, dementia etc.) – the difference is often even more striking. Once you have a disability, “community” is a much harder thing to access for a whole host of reasons ranging from physical access to prejudice.

Let us play a game. Let us pretend for a moment that I have control over your future life. Now, think about the five most important things in your life in order of priority. The things you think of as the good things in life. The things that really make life worth living. Possible entries on your prioritised list include money, vacations, health, family, a job you enjoy, independence, better looks, friends, a place to call your own. etc.

Now, what if I tell you that I am taking away two of them. What two do you want to give up out of the five? Not easy it is? Take a moment…

Which three did you decide to keep and which did you decide to give up?

I’ll bet you chose not to keep the vacations or the money-related items. I’ll bet you chose to keep family, a soul mate, your independence, friends, a place to call your own. Am I right?

Now here is the two part kicker of this thought experiment. Firstly, the very things you chose to keep above all else, are the very things we as a society tend to take away from people with intellectual disabilities. Secondly, those very things you chose to keep above all else, are found mostly in, and through, community.

For people with an intellectual disability, we take the word “community” and we redefine it. We label it “special needs” and until very recently we even used that abhorrent word “retarded”. We segregate these people from the rest of the population. We congregate these people into institutions “for their own good”. Sure, we see the odd “special bus”. We see the odd group of “special needs” going bowling at 11 a.m. on a Monday morning, but mostly we don’t see them at all. They do not live in our communities. They are not living with us.

We take away from them the very things we hold most dearly for ourselves. Do people with intellectual difficulties not value friends? Do they not value being able to make decisions for themselves? Have a place to call “home”? Of course they do but we mostly take these things away from them. We apply a so called “medical model” in supporting them. We keep them safe above all else. Quality of life? Less of a concern

This is tragic. All the more so because it is an unintended side-effect of mostly well meaning people and systems that have evolved over centuries. Thankfully, change is afoot in Ireland – albeit very slowly.

The HSE’s New Directions policy[1] sets out a vision for how the lives of people living with intellectual disabilities can be transformed through community integration and through decongregation[2].

Ireland has finally enacted the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities[3] and has begun rolling out the Assisted Decision Making Act[4].

Grass roots initiatives are afoot such as the Inclusive Living Network [4] which aims at informing and supporting people living with disabilities to live their lives the way the “rest of us” want to live ours : in communities, accessing the simple things in life that are worth more than any amount of money to all of us.

[1] https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/4/disability/newdirections/
[2] https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/4/disability/congregatedsettings/
[3] http://www.inclusionireland.ie/content/page/united-nations-and-disability
[4] https://www.findersinternational.ie/news/lunacy-act-replaced-assisted-decision-making-provisions/
[5] https://inclusivelivingnetwork.ie/

About Sean McGrath:
Sean McGrath is a 35+ year veteran of the IT industry. He holds a first class honours degree in computer science from Trinity College Dublin. He is co-founder and CTO of Propylon, where he now heads up the R+D group focusing on computational solutions in the legal and regulatory domains. He is the author of three books on markup languages published by Prentice Hall and has lectured in Trinity College Dublin and with the Open University. He runs one of Ireland’s longest lived blogs at: seanmcgrath.blogspot.com. Sean lives in Galway with his wife and three children. When not working in IT he is an avid amateur musician.

Accessibility in the General Election 2020

As a person with a disability we want to hear about your experiences of voting in the General Election 2020.  Please only complete this survey if you have voted. This includes people with disabilities who voted by postal vote. It should only take you 5 minutes to complete and is anonymous.

The survey has been put together by Maria Ní Fhlatharta and Vivian Rath, two disabled people, to gauge disabled people’s experiences of voting.  They will analyse and publish the results to better facilitate activists and Disabled Persons Organisations to advocate on this issue.

If you need support in filling out the form or have questions please email marianifhlatharta@gmail.com or tweet @RathVivian

This short survey is only intended to give us an idea of what the barriers are and is not a comprehensive study.

For the purposes of this survey we have taken the definition of disability as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities:  “Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others,” (UNCRPD, 2006).

The survey can be accessed here.

An east to read version of the survey is available here.

Posted in News  • 

General Election 2020

ILN Manifesto Point 6:
 
We believe significant change in thinking, policies and practices is necessary to support our human rights, equality and a better life for all.
Election 2020 will take place on February 8th. 
This process will determine who is in government.
This elected government will have the ability and power to shape the future of Ireland, which will affect every Irish person.
In order for us to achieve an inclusive and supportive country, we need to have our voice heard. We all need to use our vote, to show others what is important to us.
The Disability Federation of Ireland or in short (DFI) is an organisation who’s mission is to ensure that changes are made that would mean equality for people with disabilities within Ireland. 
 
The DFI calls on Politicians to Face up to the Disability Crisis in the upcoming General Election on Saturday 8 February 2020.
The Disability Federation call on politicians to:
• See the reality of disability
 
DFI state: People with disabilities are invisible in today’s Ireland. We have the highest percentage of people with a disability at risk of poverty in Western Europe, 38%.1 All parts of government must respond to these shocking facts.
• Hear the reality of disability
 
Poverty rates for people with disabilities have doubled since 2011.
22% of people with disability are in work, compared to 61% overall.
Disability services are crumbling, with mounting deficits of €40 million+.
There are 643,131 people with disability in Ireland, 13.5% of the population.
By 2026, the number of people with disability will have increased by around 20%.
85% of people with disabilities between 18 and 65 acquire their disability.
 
• Speak and Act
 
1. End Disability Poverty
2. End isolation for people with disabilities
3. Show Leadership
More about DFIs call can be accessed here.

Political Parties:

There are many different political parties within Ireland.
The political parties have lots to say about how they plan to support Irish people if they are elected on Saturday. 
Each party has developed a manifesto stating how they will run the country.
To give people an idea of what various parties are saying on disability issues,
Inclusion Ireland have compared all of the party manifestos. This can be accessed here.

Have your say:


Inclusion Ireland have prepared a Canvas Card with a helpful list of questions individuals might like to ask any candidates for the election. The questions cover topics that important to all of us including:
– education, housing, rights, poverty, mental health, therapies and employment.
The Canvas Card can be accessed here.
 

In the news: Current Minister for Disability Issues not seeking re-election.

Finian McGrath, the Dublin Bay North TD and Minister of State for Disability Issues, will not seek re-election.
Mr McGrath has been the Minister of State for Disability Issues since the last general election in 2016.
More on this story can be found here.
Posted in News  • 

Personal Stories

Life is better when we live in inclusive and diverse communities.

Source: Inclusion Ireland, 19 Stories of inclusion.

Margaret’s story shares the journey of 68 year old women who moves into her own home after a life time spent in residential and institutionalised settings.

Margaret speaks about the importance of planning and developing her skill set.

Having a choice, control and freedom in her life are also important.

Margaret’s story shows the power of communities, employment and sharing interests and hobbies with others. She also speaks to the importance of being respected.

 

Manifesto Point 2:

Strong personal relationships, connections and networks give us a sense of belonging and safety.

Source: Inclusion Ireland, 19 Stories of inclusion.

John’s Story follows his move into a home of his own after spending a life time in institutionalised care since the age of 13.

His story is a clear message about the importance of being able to share our gifts and talents within our chosen community.

It also shows us the positive impact being seen and respected by our community can have on us.

John’s story highlights how our lives can change for the better with the right supports.

 

Manifesto Point 3:

Our lives are better when we focus on each other’s strengths, abilities, interests and gifts.

Source: Clan Beo, Moving Home Movies.

Maitius’ story shares with us his journey of moving from a small town to Galway city to enable him to follow his dream and attend the Blue Tea Pot theatre company.

His story is shared by himself and his parents. It offers really useful and practical information by breaking down each stage of his journey.

 

Manifesto Point 4:

We live better lives when we have the power and control to make our own decisions.

Source: Inclusion Ireland, 19 Stories of Inclusion.

Orla & Brendan’s share their journey from their first meeting to moving in together to saving for their wedding.

This married couple also show us how they live together, speak about the importance of the right support, the need for families to believe in their loved one and what is possible for them.

Both Orla and Brendan are passionate about equal rights for all, the power of advocacy, sharing their story to enable others to find their voice and speak up.

 

Manifesto Point 5:

Our lives are better when we can access and direct supports to match the vision of our lives.

Source: Genio.

Catherine’s story follows her returning journey home to Clara after spending 27 years within a residential setting.

It shows the positive physical and emotional change within Catherine within 10 weeks and then after a year.

The clip shows the steps that enabled Catherine to move into her own home and to reconnect with her family.

It captures the development of her community roles, the deepening of her relationship with her family and their emotional journey.

The clip highlights the importance of planning and the level of detail given to every aspect of support. It also shares the honest reflection from staff and her family. It offers clear examples around the importance of freedom, choice and control.

 

Manifesto Point 6:

We believe significant change in thinking, policies and practices is necessary to support our human rights, equality and a better life for all.

Source: Open Future Learning.

A Day in the Life, shows the many stereotypes that people with disabilities face on a daily basis.

It uses role-play in a humorous way to highlight the misguided perceptions of others.

Special Cabinet meeting dedicated to Disability Issues

On 9th January 2020, the Taoiseach and ministers will meet at the Marino Institute of Education to discuss issues surrounding disability.

Christina Finn from the Jorunal.ie reports that the Disability Federation of Ireland stating ahead of the meeting today it is essential that the Cabinet is aware that for people with disabilities there remain huge obstacles and barriers.

Ombudsman Peter Tyndall has written to the Cabinet to highlight some of the issues raised in complaints to his office that affect people with disabilities. He highlights a six-and-a-half-year delay in implementing a replacement scheme for the Mobility Allowance and Motorised Transport Grant schemes that were closed to new applicants in 2013 by the Department of Health.

The National Platform of Self-advocates hope that the meeting will also discuss further funding to support their advocacy work.

 

Posted in News  • 

Contribute to the National Disability Inclusion Strategy Mid-Way Review

The National Disability Inclusion Strategy is being reviewed, in part, to take account of our ratification of the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. We suggest an action to develop an implementation plan on the Convention to be developed with people with disabilities. To contribute to this process contact the Department of Justice. The closing date is the 9th December 2019.

Posted in News  • 

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The Convention on the Rights of Person’s with Disabilities was agreed in 2006 and became part of international law in 2008.

Ireland signed the Convention on the Rights of Person’s with Disabilities on 2007.

Ireland finally ratified the Convention on the Rights of Person’s with Disabilities in March 2018, we were the last of the EU States to ratify.

We have not yet signed the Optional Protocol of the Convention which allows for individual complaints, but have agreed to do so after we have completed the first cycle of reporting.

Links:

Printable version available here

Convention link available here (scroll down to choose the version you prefer)

Easy read version is available here

Implementation in Ireland

In Ireland the driver of implementation of the Convention – called the Focal Point – is the Department of Justice and Equality.

The Department will prepare their report to the UN Committee on the Rights of People with Disabilities in 2020 and every four years after that.

Link to the Department of Justice and Equality

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) are part of the system for Monitoring the implementation of the Convention and have prepared a spoken and signed description of what the Convention means for you.

IHREC have formed a Disability Advisory Committee to assist in this process.

Link to the Disability Advisory Committee

IHREC will write a report to the UN Committee on the Rights of People with Disabilities in 2020.

If you would like to inform IHREC of issues that affect you IHREC can be contacted:
LoCall: 1890 245545
Tel: +353 1 8589601
Email: info@ihrec.ie

Civil Society groups usually come together to write a report to the UN Committee to let the UN Committee know what it is like to live with a disability in Ireland. Groups are discussing this at the moment.

An event is being held in the Center for Disability Law and Policy on the 10th December 2019. If you are interested in attending please find more information here.

Articles
Article 19 of the Convention is about the right to live in the community, it says:

Article 19 Living independently and being included in the community.

States Parties to the present Convention recognize the equal right of all persons with disabilities to live in the community, with choices equal to others, and shall take effective and appropriate measures to facilitate full enjoyment by persons with disabilities of this right and their full inclusion and participation in the community, including by ensuring that:

a) Persons with disabilities have the opportunity to choose their place of residence and where and with whom they live on an equal basis with others and are not obliged to live in a particular living arrangement;

b) Persons with disabilities have access to a range of in-home, residential and other community support services, including personal assistance necessary to support living and inclusion in the community, and to prevent isolation or segregation from the community;

c) Community services and facilities for the general population are available on an equal basis to persons with disabilities and are responsive to their needs.

Article 12 of the Convention is about our right to seen as a person before the law to exercise our rights, it says:

Article 12 Equal recognition before the law.

States Parties reaffirm that persons with disabilities have the right to recognition everywhere as persons before the law.

2. States Parties shall recognize that persons with disabilities enjoy legal capacity on an equal basis with others in all aspects of life.

3. States Parties shall take appropriate measures to provide access by persons with disabilities to the support they may require in exercising their legal capacity.

4. States Parties shall ensure that all measures that relate to the exercise of legal capacity provide for appropriate and effective safeguards to prevent abuse in accordance with international human rights law. Such safeguards shall ensure that measures relating to the exercise of legal capacity respect the rights, will and preferences of the person, are free of conflict of interest and undue influence, are proportional and tailored to the person’s circumstances, apply for the shortest time possible and are subject to regular review by a competent, independent and impartial authority or judicial body. The safeguards shall be proportional to the degree to which such measures affect the person’s rights and interests.

5. Subject to the provisions of this article, States Parties shall take all appropriate and effective measures to ensure the equal right of persons with disabilities to own or inherit property, to control their own financial affairs and to have equal access to bank loans, mortgages and other forms of financial credit, and shall ensure that persons with disabilities are not arbitrarily deprived of their property.