At long last, we are ready to care for the disabled from cradle to the grave

EVERY child born with a disability in Ireland will have a “cradle to grave” care plan so that their needs at every stage are prioritised, marking a true shift in priority for this State.

Agreement has been reached to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Parents, communities, campaigners and public representatives fought hard to get it over the line. But that doesn’t mean the fight is over. It was one small but very significant step on the road to full equality for those with disabilities.

My next main goal and commitment is that every child with a disability who is born in this country will have a long-term care plan from the cradle to the grave.

There is no such approach at the moment and I have met countless elderly parents who are worried about what will happen to their disabled sons and daughters when they die. This is something that no elderly person should be concerned about.

Such a care plan will include access to services at primary, secondary, third level and residential level and will look after the needs of an individual throughout the different stages in their lives.

The long road to ratification of the UN convention was not an easy one. There has – rightly – been criticism of the length of time it has taken for Ireland to ratify the convention. In fact, we were the last EU member state to do so, despite having signed up to it in 2007.

But systems had to be put in place so that once ratified, the benefits for the disabled would be immediate, present and concrete.

Since the publication of the 2015 ‘Roadmap to Ratification’, we have embarked on a substantive programme of legislative reform to align our domestic legislation with the terms of the convention.

Had we not done that, the convention would be meaningless for those with disabilities.

Ratification is not just something for those with disabilities – it is about us all.

There isn’t one person in Ireland who has not been affected by disability at some stage in their lives.

Many of us have family members, friends and colleagues living with a disability. That disability may be visible or invisible.

And as people in Irish society are living longer, there is a strong likelihood that we could experience disability ourselves as we get older.

Let’s face facts: according to the

2016 census, there are almost

645,000 people living with a disability in Ireland.

The purpose of the convention is to promote, protect and ensure full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all people with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.

In July last year, I launched the National Disability Inclusion Strategy. This takes a “whole of Government” approach to improving the lives of people with disabilities and contains more than 100 measurable and time-specific actions that relate to the areas of education, employment, provision of public services, health, transport and personal safety and autonomy.

The strategy and the robust monitoring framework supported by the National Disability Authority leaves us well placed to respond to the requirements of the convention.

The next step will be for the Tánaiste and

Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney to sign the instrument of ratification and arrange for it to be deposited with the secretary general of the United Nations.

The convention enters into force for Ireland 30 days after.

Becoming a party to the convention provides a focus and structure to our journey, reaffirms our aspiration to improve the lives of people with disabilities in Ireland and holds us to account in our commitments.

This rebalances the right of people with disabilities to make decisions for themselves, rather than have decisions made for them.

With ratification soon to be in place, I can now focus on using the convention to better equip and resource people with disabilities to improve their quality of life.

Our focus is now firmly on inclusion and this is as a result of the efforts of committed family members, carers, public representatives and activists who have worked tirelessly to ensure that the voices of people with disabilities are heard and they can take up their rightful place as visible, active, important and valued members of our society.

To those who campaigned, who contributed to the debate, who pushed for change, who spoke up and who told us about the difficulties of being considered equal in society – I say a huge thank you.

You have changed this country for the better.

Finian McGrath is Minister of State for Disability Issues

There has been – rightly – criticism of the time it has taken for Ireland to ratify the UN convention. We were the last EU state to do so despite having signed up in 2007