Access to public spaces is no joke for Laois wheelchair users

NEXT month, the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) is calling on councillors and local authorities to focus on access barriers in the local community as part of its annual access campaign, Access — It’s no Joke, which launches tomorrow (Wednesday).

Their research shows that 81% of local authorities, including Co Laois, do not have a dedicated access officer appointed to improve access to public services and the organisation is appealing to county councils across Ireland to pass a resolution mandating that a position be created for someone whose specific and only remit it is to tend to accessibility issues.

Access — It’s no Joke is a comedic video campaign with a serious side, highlighting access barriers that people with disabilities face in our local communities. The campaign began as a series of videos with comedians Anna Clifford, David McSavage and Owen Colgan highlighting the barriers people with disabilities face to access everyday amenities like public pathways, public transport, parks, parking bays and coffee shops Rosaleen Lally, national access programme manager with the Irish Wheelchair Association, said: “Access — It’s no Joke has been so popular with people reaching out to us online and sharing videos of their daily frustrations and anger about trying to access everyday local amenities. So, this year, we are contacting county councils to find a solution to some of these access barriers.” 

 According to the IWA’s research, 25 local authorities in Ireland do not have a dedicated, resourced access officer to work full-time on access to public services in their county. IWA’s research across Ireland’s 31 local authorities found that 81% of local authorities (25 local authorities) do not have a dedicated access officer for their community; only 19% of local authorities (six local authorities) have a dedicated access officer on their county council; and only three counties (six local authorities) have a dedicated access officer in their county councils — Dublin, Westmeath and Wexford.

Under section 6 of the Disability Act 2005, all public bodies, including local authorities, must appoint an access officer to support people with disabilities to access public services. According to the IWA, this is happening ‘in theory’ but not in reality.

They said: “We know that many local authorities have access officers, but often these are simply additional job titles that are given to existing busy staff. We know that our local authorities have dedicated hardworking staff, but they cannot break down access barriers without time, budget or experience."