Ratoath labour rep calling for full equality for those with disabilities

Labour Party Local Area Representative, Eilish Balfe, headed up the Meath East team at the Labour Party Conference in Dublin, on Saturday last, as they presented a motion on behalf of the Meath East Labour Party to conference.

The motion called on the Labour Party to vigorously pursue a campaign to achieve full equality for all people with disabilities.

Eilish Balfe, who hopes to stand as a candidate for the Labour Party at the next Local Elections said:

“For far too long lip-service has been paid to the idea that people with disabilities have been given the same rights as fully-able individuals. However, as anybody with a disability, or with a close friend or relative with a disability knows, the reality is very different".

"Opportunities for employment, education and even to engage with public services are still, in reality, much more difficult to engage with for those with disabilities".

"The Labour Party has always supported the rights of the most disadvantaged in society, but even so, it was most gratifying to see the Party nationally adopt our resolution. This means that we will pursue legislation, whether in Opposition or Government to hold public bodies to account over their record of dealing with people with disabilities."

The Labour Party Representative clarified that this would involve establishing an accessibility inspectorate, introducing a certification system to ensure compliance with a new accessibility standard, starting with the Higher Education sector.

Ms Balfe continued "It would be hypocritical for us to call on others to put their houses in order without looking at our own first, so Conference also backed our call to 'equality-proof' all of our policies and to ensure that all of our activities are reasonably accessible.

It would be great to see other political parties following our lead".

Representative Balfe, an Early Years Educator from Ratoath, also spoke in support of a Labour Women's motion calling for change in the funding model for Early Years Education.

"I told conference about my first hand experience of working with young children and families, and how so many of my colleagues struggling to sustain even a basic standard of living. The current system is broken and our sector is in crisis. A new funding model is absolutely required"

The Labour Party spokeswoman concluded:

“Our society has shown in recent times that we are no longer prepared to accept unfairness and inequality of treatment. This two-tier approach to the rights of individuals and families, based upon their level of disability is another example of a historic unfairness that does not serve the State. It is time to put a stop to this unfairness. I am delighted that the Labour Party and Trade Union movement will be, as it always is, to the forefront of challenging and putting a stop to this inequality.”