There are almost 6,000 people living with disabilities in Longford according to the Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI)
Local community must be a strong voice for people with disabilities.
The Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI) asked the local community in Longford to be a strong voice to improve the quality of life of people who have disabilities.
There are 5,916 people living in Longford with a disability or chronic illness. This represents 15% of the entire population of the county.
Every person in Longford, living with a disability is a family member – a son, daughter, sibling, or parent. The lack of supports and services for people with disabilities encompasses a far larger percentage of Longford’s population than assumed.
Four out of every five people with disabilities acquired their disability during their working lives. This year alone, over 56,000 people nationally will be diagnosed with a disability for the first time.
Longford County Council is responsible for services that are of crucial importance to those with disabilities. They include housing, planning, public facilities, education and training. The Disability Federation of Ireland is asking the local community and local public representatives to put supports for people at the disability at the top of the public agenda.
Mr PJ Cleere, Disability Federation Ireland Support Officer for Co. Longford said:
“People with disabilities are a core element of community life in Longford. Their voice must be heard. Providing necessary supports to enable Longford people with disabilities to live as equal citizens will benefit every one of us.”
“In the forthcoming local elections, we will be asking all aspiring local government representatives to embrace the needs of people with disabilities and reflect this in the priorities they put before the electorate. People with disabilities, their families and supporters are a sizeable electoral demographic and they will remember those candidates who place disability at the centre of their political agenda.”
“Since 2008, there has been a steady erosion of services and supports for people with disabilities. As a result, people with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty than others.
“Ireland officially exited recession in September 2013. However, people with disabilities in our community are in a far weaker position than before the recession,” PJ said.
Today, 26% of adults in Ireland with a disability live in consistent poverty. People in Longford, who care about living in a fair society, are gravely concerned.
Locally, access to services, including physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, personal assistants and other key supports are totally insufficient. Furthermore, people with disabilities are not entitled to participate in many employment programmes and are further excluded from the labour market.
Census statistics show that of people with a disability age 15 years and over in Longford, 18% were at work compared to 48% of the general population of the same age.
The Disability Federation of Ireland is calling on Longford’s local election candidates to set out their plans in their election manifestos for improving the lives of the constituents of Longford who have disabilities.
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