Disabled people in Laois to meet general election candidates
The Irish Wheelchair Association Advocacy Manager Joan Carthy wants candidates to put disability front and centre in the upcoming general election campaign.
GENERAL election candidates in Laois have been invited to a meeting with members of the Irish Wheelchair Association in Portlaoise on Monday.
With a general election imminent the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) is urging the disability population to be polling day ready by registering to vote now.
The association is hosting a number of hustings around the country, starting in Portlaoise on Monday 4 November in the IWA Centre on Saint Fintan’s Hospital campus in Portlaoise at 11.30am.
The meeting will allow IWA members in Laois to gain insights on each candidate’s/party’s stance on issues affecting people with disabilities, in advance of polling day. It will also give the election candidates the opportunity to hear about what matters to IWA members.
IWA’s Advocacy Manager Joan Carthy said that according to the latest census 22% of Ireland’s population has a disability of some form and that the IWA is adamant that the needs of people with disabilities must be prioritised in the next Programme for Government.
She said: “It is imperative therefore, that people with disabilities use their vote in this General Election to help elect candidates who they believe will best represent them. We want to put disability front and centre stage in this general election campaign. We believe that the disability sector has been abandoned by successive governments and that needs to change.
“Over a fifth of the population plus their families is a significant voice and we are calling on our members and people with disabilities in general to make sure they have a say in this election by registering to vote and when polling days comes to use that vote to make a difference.”
She said that despite Budget 25 being hailed as a giveaway Budget people with disabilities or the organisations that provide vital services did not reap the rewards - once again - which was hugely disappointing given the amount of money that the government had at their disposal.
“We want a commitment from candidates that they will prioritise disability if elected and commit to the main asks raised in our election manifesto across key areas such as sectoral funding, the cost of disability, housing, pay parity, transport, sport and access.”
