CIL Pre-Budget Submission 2015 - cover_Layout 1 09/07/2014 15:09 Page 1 Center for Independent Living CeNter for INdePeNdeNt LIvINg Carmichael House, North Brunswick Street, Dublin 7. Phone: 01 873 0455 • Fax: 01 873 0998 Email: [email protected] • Web: www.dublincil.org “Nothing About Us Without Us” Pre-bUdget sUbmIssIoN 2015 “Nothing About Us Without Us” CIL Pre-Budget Submission 2015 - inside pages_Layout 1 08/07/2014 16:07 Page 1 “nothing About us Without us” Center for Independent Living pre-budget submIssIon 2015 Center for Independent Living Carmichael House, north brunswick street, dublin 7. www.dublincil.org CIL Pre-Budget Submission 2015 - inside pages_Layout 1 08/07/2014 16:07 Page 2 2 Center for Independent Living Contents exeCutIve summAry IntroduCtIon Who We Are Guiding Principles Social Inclusion Introduction 3 4 4 4 5 5 1. personAL AssIstAnCe 7 2. trAnsport 8 3. InCome equALIty 9 4. WAter CHArges 10 ConCLusIon 11 CIL Pre-Budget Submission 2015 - inside pages_Layout 1 08/07/2014 16:07 Page 3 Pre-Budget Submission 2015 3 exeCutIve summAry Providing supports for people with disabilities to live the lives of our choosing in the community is not only central to the National Disability Strategy but is also economically sound. Without supports many of us are either forced to live in isolation or in institutions. Pennywise but pound foolish cuts to supports such as Personal Assistance Services, home support, respite, mobility allowance and so on make no sense. Cuts over the past twelve months have impacted on frontline health services. Some members of CIL have been unable to get replacement pressure cushions for their wheelchairs resulting in sores that in turn have necessitated lengthy hospital stays at a far greater cost to the State. Individualised home support plans have been rejected and people directed to community hospitals or nursing homes instead even though this often costs more. This Pre-Budget Submission is an outline of the recommendations that should be taken on board by Government to minimise the effect of budgetary cuts on the lives of people with disabilities. It is of vital importance that decisions taken now do not have long term negative impacts that may in fact cost more in the long run to reverse. michael mcCabe Chairman CIL Pre-Budget Submission 2015 - inside pages_Layout 1 08/07/2014 16:07 Page 4 4 IntroduCtIon Center for Independent Living Who We Are The Center for Independent Living (CIL) is a grassroots organisation run by people with disabilities for people with disabilities, with the main aim of empowering and enabling all people with disabilities to achieve Independent Living. The structure of CIL is a practice result of the consolidation of people with disabilities who joined together around the aim of ensuring that people with disabilities had the opportunity of achieving Independent Living (IL) within the community. CIL places the needs of people with disabilities at the heart of all of its activities and provides a range of services to support and develop Independent Living at local, regional and national level. Ultimately CIL strives toward all people with disabilities being seamlessly integrated into mainstream society removing the need for active campaigning for services and instead focusing on the benefits Independent Living provides to all members of our society. guiding principles CIL operates under the Independent Living philosophy, which is based on four main assumptions; that each life is valuable; that regardless of a person’s disability they have the ability to choose; that people have the right to practice control over their own lives regardless of the oppressive attitude and practice of society; and finally, that each person with a disability has the right to fully participate in society. Independent Living does not imply a desire to lead life in self-sufficient isolation. It means that a person with a disability is afforded the same right to choice and self-determination that all other individuals take for granted. These choices often require that a person with a disability be supported, either by assistive technology, environmental adaptation or by the physical help of another individual. It is the element of choice and the fact that it is CIL Pre-Budget Submission 2015 - inside pages_Layout 1 08/07/2014 16:07 Page 5 Pre-Budget Submission 2015 5 the person with a disability who chooses and directs his or her own services that underpins the Independent Living approach to disability that CIL adheres to. social Inclusion This document is structured to take into account the varying elements in our civil society that contribute to increased levels of social inclusion for people with disabilities. There are many elements that contribute to social inclusion that we control. By recognising that we are in control of the elements and levels of social inclusion, we can also recognise that we as a society are in control of the levels of social inclusion. This document has been written in consultation with both the CIL Network and Leaders, through the Leader fora and is a representation of the recommendations that have emerged from consultation. Social inclusion is a key element of Independent Living, and is an essential indicator as to how a society is progressing towards one that values and appreciates all individuals in society equally. This document has been written in consultation with individual leaders across the country through the Leader Forums. All of the recommendations outlined in this PreBudget Submission are representative of the recommendations that have emerged from consultation and CIL believes that they will act to increase social inclusion for all people with disabilities. Introduction CIL has developed this document in consultation with the network of people with disabilties nationwide that participate in CIL Leader Forums. The Leader Forum is an independent space for people with disabilities to come together to discuss common experiences, challenges, policy issues and quality of services at local, regional and national level across Ireland. Developed by CIL the Leader Forum is a space for people with disabilities to offer each other peer support and mentoring independent of any oneservice provider. CIL Pre-Budget Submission 2015 - inside pages_Layout 1 08/07/2014 16:07 Page 6 6 Center for Independent Living Upon reflection Leader Forum members felt that many of the issues raised by CIL through its 2014 Pre-Budget Submission have not been adequately addressed by government. Therefore as we approach 2015 they reiterate their call for action on: • Personal Assistance Services • Transport • Income Inequality They also call for immediate action to be taken on the implementation of water charges. CIL Pre-Budget Submission 2015 - inside pages_Layout 1 08/07/2014 16:07 Page 7 Pre-Budget Submission 2015 1. personAL AssIstAnCe 7 Personal Assistance Services (PAS) are at the heart of Independent Living and were introduced to Ireland by CIL as a pilot project in the 1990’s. PAS ensures that people with disabilities can have the opportunity to live independently, and supports the capacity of people with disabilities to come together around important policy issues, which are critical to true Independent Living, from areas of housing, transport, and education to employment and environmental access. PAS are essential to the creation of social inclusion, and to a society that is both diverse and accessible. Whilst CIL realises that budget savings have to be made, we do not accept, and will not accept any further cuts to the PAS. Not only does PAS represent a huge saving to the Government when compared with the cost of long term residential care, it also creates space and the right for people with disabilities to live independent lives. Without PAS many people would be forced to move into residential care which would increase the cost of services by €209,000 on average per annum. CIL calls on the government to introduce our recommendations on PAS, and to bear in mind the social impact of budgetary decisions when planning budgets. The following are our recommendations for the future development and funding of PAS in Ireland: • Put PAS on a legislative footing ensuring future service provision within the guiding principles of Independent Living. • Ringfence the funding of PAS within the wider HSE budget. • Increase the PAS budget to allow more people with disabilities to avail of a PAS, and subsequently live independently in the community. • Deal with the waiting list for PAS – this is currently on par with the number of people actually in receipt of PAS. • Raise awareness of PAS and simplify the application process to ensure that PAS becomes a realistic option for people with disabilities. • No more cuts to exisiting PAS. CIL Pre-Budget Submission 2015 - inside pages_Layout 1 08/07/2014 16:07 Page 8 8 2. trAnsport Center for Independent Living Transport has long been recognised as an essential element of social inclusion. Lack of adequate transport services act as a barrier to participation in society for people with disabilities, and directly impact on an individual’s quality of life. The recent removal of the Mobility Allowance and Motorised Transport Grant have caused much distress to people with disabilities who depend on these services to maintain an active and valued economic and social life. It is vital that in the future planning of services, the impact of transport on the lives of people with disabilities is understood and taken into account to plan for wide ranging and all-encompassing transport services. CIL also recognises that many people with disabilities may not qualify for the mobility allowance, as the criteria are strict in relation to the range of mobility. CIL is concerned that there may be people who have mobility issues that are not covered by these criteria. The following are our recommendations for the future development and funding of transport for people with disabilies in Ireland: • Raise the means test for qualification for the transport grants and fully reinstate the Transport Adaptation Grant and Mobility Allowance. • The Mobility Allowance must be based on partial mobility in addition to a full lack of mobility, and individuals with visual impairments must also be eligible to apply. • Put existing grants and services on a legislative footing and maintain individualised payments. • VRT – should be extended to larger engine sizes. Larger cars are required for transport of motorised wheelchairs and equipment and this should be taken into account. People with visual impairments must also be included as eligible for car ownership schemes as passengers and drivers. • Reinstate fully the Rural Transport scheme as this is the only lifeline many people with disabilities have in rural settings. CIL Pre-Budget Submission 2015 - inside pages_Layout 1 08/07/2014 16:07 Page 9 Pre-Budget Submission 2015 3. InCome InequALIty People with disabilities in Ireland are more likely to be unemployed, near or below the poverty line and /or have a lower disposable income than people without a disability. The road to reducing and removing income inequality starts with removing the barriers to social and economic inclusion in the areas of employment and education. 9 It is extremely important that people with disabilities are conceptualised as part of an active economic sector of society that have the potential to contribute to a well-functioning and diverse labour force. Structural barriers to participation must be removed to increase labour force participation of people with disabilities. This is a double sided proposal, which involves increasing labour force activation measures in addition to removing the potential poverty trap for an individual living on a fixed income. The following are our recommendations for addressing the serious levels of income inequality experienced by people with disabilities: • Introduce a cost of disability payment. • Reverse cuts to the Disability Pension to give recipients a moderate living standard. • Remove the means test for the medical card and make it a universal service for all people with disabilities. • We recommend that the comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities as outlined by the NDA, should be implemented in full. • The criteria for carers allowance must be broadened to also include PRSI contributions, in order to recognise the valuable and essential support provided by family members who may have had to leave employment to support a person with a disability. • The Disability Allowance must be maintained at current levels, and the criteria for the domiciliary care allowance should be broadened if it is to replace disability allowance for 16-18 year olds. It is essential that where cases come under review payments should not be suspended for the period of review. • No further cuts to Fuel Allowance, and to reverse all previous cuts. CIL Pre-Budget Submission 2015 - inside pages_Layout 1 08/07/2014 16:07 Page 10 10 4. WAter CHArges Center for Independent Living The implementation of water charges will have an extremely negative impact on people with disabilities. The imposition of further charges or costs will further isolate many people with disabilities from their family, friends and community. While we accept that a charge may be necessary to ensure the provision of clean fresh water there must be equity in the implementation of any charges and distribution of associated allowances. The medical conditions that qualify for capped water usage need to be revisited and addressed. There are numerous conditions that people with disabilities suffer from that are not officially recognised. These may be extremely life debilitating and require a person to take numerous showers or bath several times throughout the day. As this will obviously be contributing to high water usage they need to be recognised to qualify for high water usage and capped charges. The current list of medical conditions that are classified as long-term illnesses is not adequate in this regard. The following are our recommendations for addressing the concerns people with disabilities have in relation to water charges: • people with disabilities who genuinely need to use more water due to a medical condition should not be penalised. • If a person with a disability has the ability to work and is contributing to our economy they should not be penalised because they do not qualify for the household benefits package. • people with disabilities who are in a position to work should not be penalised with higher water charges. • A set water charge should be implemented for all people with disabilities. CIL Pre-Budget Submission 2015 - inside pages_Layout 1 08/07/2014 16:07 Page 11 Pre-Budget Submission 2015 ConCLusIon 11 Social inclusion stands as a marker to a well-functioning society, and every effort should be made by the Government to increase the social inclusion of people with disabilities by implementing the recommendations outlined in this Pre-Budget Submission. Future decisions made by government that impact on people with disabilities should not increase barriers to social inclusion, but should only act to remove them. This report contains recommendations to government that are not only economically rational, but that are socially rational also. Personal Assistance Services provide an economically sustainable alternative to long-term institutional care. When taken in conjunction with effective labour market activation projects, removal of poverty traps and increased accessible transport the benefits of social inclusion will be seen in an increase in participation in the political, social, economic and cultural areas of community and society. It will also have a positive impact on employment, VAT through increased spending power, and benefits to the local economy. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Pre-Budget Submission and who made it a representative document. CIL Pre-Budget Submission 2015 - inside pages_Layout 1 08/07/2014 16:07 Page 12 12 Center for Independent Living CIL Pre-Budget Submission 2015 - cover_Layout 1 09/07/2014 15:09 Page 1 Center for Independent Living CeNter for INdePeNdeNt LIvINg Carmichael House, North Brunswick Street, Dublin 7. Phone: 01 873 0455 • Fax: 01 873 0998 Email: [email protected] • Web: www.dublincil.org “Nothing About Us Without Us” Pre-bUdget sUbmIssIoN 2015 “Nothing About Us Without Us”
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