Call for Offaly council to bring in a disability inclusion strategy
Calls for a disability inclusion strategy to be prepared and implemented by Offaly County Council in order to support locals with disabilities have been made by Green Party representatives this week.
The party's local election candidate in Tullamore, Liam Walsh, was part of an Offaly delegation which attended the launch of 'Getting Nowhere – Reviewing the Government's Approach to Accessible Public Transport' by the Irish Wheelchair Association in the Houses of the Oireachtas.
Also in attendance at the event this week were Tullamore's Aisling McElligott and Banagher's Patrick Mongan. The Offaly delegation was met by Minister Pippa Hackett.
"It was a great honour to be present at this launch and it is reassuring to see that the Government is taking the issue of accessibility seriously," said Liam Walsh.
"At the same time, it's clear from this report that regulation for accessibility for public transport and public spaces is needed."
On the same day, Offaly Green Party councillor Mark Hackett attended a meeting of Offaly Disability Equality Network (ODEN ). At the meeting, he proposed that a council-level disability inclusion strategy be prepared.
It was agreed that Cllr Hackett would bring this suggestion as a motion to the next meeting of Offaly County Council.
Explaining the background, Cllr Hackett said: "I recently came across the work of a similar group in Kilkenny who had worked for over a year to create a disability inclusion strategy for the county.
"It seemed to me that ODEN, or members of ODEN, have much of the work done, through activities like ‘Make Way Day’ for example. It would be great to pull all this work into one document; a strategy for the next 4 or 5 years."
Liam Walsh added: "I fully support the call for a disability inclusion strategy for Offaly. This could, for example, recommend the recruitment of a disability officer.
"It can serve as a good map for how the National Disability Inclusion Strategy can be translated for our local area.
"I can't see how else we can know we are meeting our responsibilities, without a strategy to refer to. It is essential that this work includes all relevant stakeholders."