Urgent call for Kildare councillors to support local disability access campaign

Councillors throughout County Kildare have been called upon to support a local disability access campaign.

The Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) has requested 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'.

According to research conducted by the IWA, 81 per cent of local authorities, including in Kildare, do not have a dedicated Access Officer to improve access to public services.

Emphasising this finding, the IWA is urging county councils across Ireland to appoint a dedicated Access and Inclusion Officer in order to improve access for people with disabilities. 

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'ACCESS - IT'S NO JOKE'

'Access- It’s No Joke' is a comedic video campaign with a serious side, highlighting access barriers that people with disabilities face in their local communities.

The campaign began as a series of humorous online videos with high-profile comedians Anna Clifford, David McSavage and Owen Colgan highlighting the barriers people with disabilities face to access everyday amenities, such as public pathways, public transport, parks, parking bays and coffee shops.

One of the stars of the videos, Connie Richardson, is a wheelchair user who highlighted a dilemma she often faces: "By the time I get to the bus stop, I've already overcome so many obstacles."

She added: "If the one wheelchair spot is taken, or the ramp is broken, I may miss my appointments, but I try to remain positive or leave the house really early to allow for these situations."

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FINDINGS

The IWA’s research looked at all 31 local authorities in Ireland.

The key findings that the organisation discovered were: 

• 81 per cent of local authorities do not have a dedicated Access Officer for their community. 
• Only 19 per cent of local authorities (six local authorities) have a dedicated Access Officer in their county council. 
• Only three counties (six local authorities) in Ireland have a dedicated Access Officer in their county councils - Dublin, Westmeath and Wexford. 

The IWA also pointed out that 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.

However, the IWA claimed that while this is happening 'in theory', it is often 'not [the case] in reality'.

Rosaleen Lally, the IWA's National Access Programme Manager, elaborated: "People with disabilities need better access to public transport, healthcare, housing and amenities like parks and pools.

"Local authorities have been mandated by the 2025 Disability Act to take action, but the bare minimum isn’t good enough."

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Ms Lally continued: "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."

"We are appealing to local councillors to look at our motion and pass the Access and Inclusion Officer Resolution at the next available council meeting.

"People with disabilities don’t just need support, they need solutions and action," she concluded.

Anyone seeking further information about the 'Access - It's No Joke' campaign can visit www.iwa.ie/accessnojoke.

Photograph supplied by the Irish Wheelchair Association

Lastly, it should be noted that in the context of local politics in Kildare, Fine Gael councillor Peggy O'Dwyer submitted a motion at the last full Kildare County Council (KCC) meeting, in which she urged KCC identify "a funding source for a dedicated full time post holder for an Access and Inclusion Officer in line with obligations under the Disability Act 2005".

This motion was seconded by her party colleague, Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer.

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