LOUTH COUNTY COUNCIL DOING THEIR BIT FOR IWA
THE last surviving member of the committee that formed the Irish Wheelchair Association has nothing but praise for the engineers in Louth County Council.
‘We have a very good relationship with them, Darius Messayeh and Catherine Duff and others. They have worked with us and have helped with places that need attention,’ Oliver Murphy states.
The latest job done was on Patrick Street in recent weeks when a high footpath was evened off, allowing full use for everyone.
‘We have seen it, especially in the last three years or so, very high class work done to make Drogheda and Dundalk a better place for everyone. We must always acknowledge people that listen and then do something about it.’
He thanks a volunteer who has dedicated many years of service to the IWA, John Healy, for all his work in highlighting issues. ‘John has played a big part in it, a good man to write a letter!,’ Oliver quipped.
He says working with the councl is vital. ‘ We all want people with disabilities to be able to get out of their home and allow them go into town. They need the paths to be right. In the past, they’d have to mingle with heavy traffic and and we are eliminating that but it has to be tackled in every town.
According to a recent survey by the Irish Wheelchair Association, 77% of people with physical disabilities have poor or no access to public spaces, and two thirds report access difficulties in public buildings.
The organisation surveyed almost 1,000 people across Ireland for the latest edition of its ‘ Best Practice Access Guidelines: Designing Accessible Environments.’
The Irish Wheelchair Association found that:
•77% of people with physical disabilities have poor or no access to public spaces and amenities because of issues with pavements, parking, pedestrian crossings and more.
•66% of people reported difficulty accessing public buildings, which include healthcare, retail and leisure facilities.
•68% of people experience inadequate toilets, lifts, emergency exits and parking machines in public spaces.
•63% said that they often faced poor or no accessible public parking at public buildings.
•73% said they often faced steps to the main entrance of public buildings.
Tony Cunningham, Director of Property, Housing and Access at Irish Wheelchair Association said: “People with physical disabilities are effectively locked out of public spaces and buildings. With current building regulations taking an extremely narrow view of accessibility, simple day-to-day activities are made needlessly complicated.
“A central part of anyone’s independence is to have a home. Currently there is no minimum standard for wheelchair accessible housing in Ireland, as part M of the building regulations provides for only for ‘visitable housing’ not housing in which a person with a wheelchair could live. The Irish Wheelchair Association is calling for an urgent review of The Building Regulations (Part M Amendment) Regulations 2010.’
Irish Wheelchair Association is a network of 20,000 members, over 2,500 staff and 2,000 volunteers. It is one of the largest membership organisations in Ireland.