My Senate Campain

Hi all,

Please see below, I'd be pleased to hear your comments.

Don't forget to keep chexking the website www.tinalowe.ie for other updates!

Best Wishes

Tina



VOTE TINA LOWE FOR NUI SENATE

Ireland is undergoing huge transformations in its cultural make-up, we are a much more diverse society and our constitution claims to embrace all our citizens and to cherish and treat them equally. However in reality this is still not the case!

Even though this transformation purports to includes a change in attitude towards people with disabilities this transformation is sporadic and on the surface.
The changes that have been put in place are also not standardised, so the result is a very ad-hoc approach to inclusion.

The traditional benevolence and charitable attitude still prevails when dealing with people with disabilities.
This is an infringement of human rights, an insult and a disgrace!

We do not want charity or benevolence we want equality and inclusion.

We want jobs.

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How Disabilities affect 1 in 4 in Ireland

• 1 in 4 people with disabilities in Ireland are unemployed, with almost every family affected in some way.

• People with disabilities experience various forms of exclusion and inequality.

• In Ireland essential supports for people with disabilities have been denied by successive governments and expenditure on disability issues have remained disproportionately low in comparison to other sections of our economy.

• Stigma and discrimination still prevails

We need to change these facts NOW!


WHY WORK?

For people with disabilities it is essential to work for the following reasons:

• Our society is undergoing a transformation in its attitudes towards people with disabilities. There are more opportunities available; however oppression and discrimination still exist. By joining the workforce you are:

o Setting an example for other people with disabilities

o Showing non-disabled people what you and through you other people with disabilities can do

o By gaining employment people with disabilities can take a far greater part in the economy and in society as a whole.

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POLITICAL COMMENTATORS ON OUR CURRENT UNEMPLOYMENT SITUATION:

According to the Central Statistics Office the figures for unemployment in Ireland stand at 4.3%.

This figure does not allude in any way to people with disabilities, so people with disabilities are not even on the radar nor are they included in the mainstream population figures.

Why is this?

According to political commentators even though this figure may seem very small for those people who are unemployed it is a much bigger issue, because the gap between unemployment benefit and the cost of living is far greater than several years ago when unemployment was much higher, also in our Celtic Tiger economy housing costs, mortgage repayments are huge and so the commitments that people have are much bigger, consequently even a short period of unemployment can cause devastating affects.

Unemployment figures will rise because the newly created economies in construction, which have a high percentage of migrant workers in these jobs, is starting to slow down and this coupled with the very high cost of living in Ireland will contribute to a rise in unemployment.

If this happens will disabled people even get a look in? – they are not considered now in the booming economy – what will it be like when things start to slide?

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What are my policies and my vision when elected?

• My vision is to ensure government achieves substantive equality for people with disabilities.

• I will set an example for equal opportunities and will encourage the government to set up an office for people with disabilities which will be a model for public sector organisations.

• I will endeavour to ensure that the views of people with disabilities are heard and are the centre of policy making by reaching out to organisations and individuals at every step and by bringing external expertise and experience to this office for disabilities.

• I will endeavour to change and improve the way government communicates with people with disabilities and disability organisations in its day to day work.

• The Office for People with Disabilities will act as a research unit and will be a source of information and expertise on disability issues. It will provide support to government and will build awareness and public perception on disability issues.


Reasons for setting up an office for People with Disabilities with a dedicated Minister for Disabilities:

Already in Great Britain there is an Office for Disability Issues and a minister dedicated to overseeing this work.

It is true to say that we have an organisation in Ireland set up by the government called the National disability Authority, but I believe that in order to make real change we need to have this office in the government itself and to have a minister with this portfolio.

In the United Kingdom the present government has a ministry which is dedicated solely to people with disabilities. Ann Maguire is Parliamentary under-secretary in the Commons and is Minister for Disabled people and is a minister within the Department for Work and Pensions. Some of the areas that this Minister is responsible for include:

• Disability legislation
• Disability rights
• Independent living

This Office for Disability Issues (ODI) works closely with all government departments to develop and improve services for people with disabilities. In particular the ODI works directly with departments responsible for health, transport, education work and pensions, trade and industry and for communities and local government. As a central co-ordinating office the ODI ensure government departments work together on disability issues. The views and wishes people with disabilities are at the centre of any decision when developing policies for disabled people and this office supports any actions or directives taken by the government on disability issues.

For these reasons above and for the purpose of gaining much more recognition and for actually bringing disability issues to the attention of the government I believe that we need a similar set up in Ireland.