National Disability Strategy Inclusion Plan
Talking about Actions
This document lists the actions that have been put forward for the Plan.
It says who is responsible for working on each action.
There are eight themes. Each theme has different goals or objectives.
The actions are set out under these goals.
Equality and Choices
People with disabilities are treated equally by the law.
They have the same rights and responsibilities as every other citizen.
People with disabilities make their own choices and decisions.
Action
Who?
We will agree the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with  Department of
Disabilities by the end of 2016.
Justice and
Equality
We will pass the Equality/Disability Bill by the end of 2016.
 Department of
Justice and
Equality
We will start the Assisted Decision-Making Act.
We will write a set of rules to explain how to work with the Act.
We will give training on the Act and on the rules.
 Department of
Justice and
Equality
 National Disability
Authority (NDA)
 Department of
Health
 HSE
We will set up the Decision Support Service.
 Department of
Justice and
Equality
 National Disability
Authority
 HSE
We will give people with disabilities information about the
Assisted Decision-Making Act and the Decision Support
Service.
 HSE
 Disability service
providers
 Decision Support
Service
We will make sure that services can support people to make
decisions.
 HSE
 Disability service
providers
 Decision Support
Service
People with disabilities enjoy a good standard of living.
Action
Who?
We will improve the social welfare system to support people
with disabilities to get into work.
 Department of
Social Protection
People with disabilities are treated with dignity and respect.
People with disabilities are free from abuse.
Action
Who?
We will carry out the HSE’s Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults
policy.
 HSE
We will roll out a programme to change the culture in disability
services.
 HSE
We will bring in legal safety measures to make sure people
living in nursing homes and residential centres are kept safe
and free from abuse.
 Department of
Justice and
Equality
 Disability service
providers
 Department of
Health
Action
Who?
We will look at ways to change mental health laws so they can
work with the Assisted Decision-Making Act.
 Department of
Justice and
Equality
 Department of
Health
We will bring in EU rules on Victims of Crime.
These laws will think about the best ways to support people
with disabilities if they are a witness in a court.
 Department of
Justice and
Equality
 Director of Public
Prosecutions
 An Garda Síochána
 The Prison Service
 The Probation
Service
We will look at our laws to make sure that people with
disabilities are protected from hate crime.
 Department of
Justice and
Equality
People with disabilities are given information in a way that is easy to
understand.
Public services are disability friendly and can be used by all citizens.
Action
Who?
The Government information strategy will pay attention to
information technology and Universal Design.
 All Government
Departments and
public services
We will encourage public services to have websites that follow
the rules of Universal Design.
Government Departments and public services will stick to the
rules of the Disability Act 2005.
This should mean that all services and buildings can be used
by people with disabilities.
This will be written into strategies and business plans.
Public services will make information and communication
easier for everyone to understand.
 All Government
Departments and
public services
 Centre for
Excellence in
Universal Design
 NDA
We will make sure that Garda and Courts services can be used  An Garda Síochána
by all people with disabilities.
 Courts Service
We will make sure that information from An Garda Síochána
and the Courts service is easy for everyone to get and
understand.
We will put together a guide for Gardaí on communicating with
people with disabilities.
We will put together a guide on autism for people working in
the justice system.
Staff in public services will have disability awareness training.
It will include training on understanding autism.
The training will be put together with people with autism and
the services that support them.
We will make information about autism available to staff in
Government departments and public services.
 An Garda Síochána
 National Disability
Authority
 All Government
Departments and
public services
 National Disability
Authority
People who communicate in different ways are given the right
supports so they can take part as equal citizens.
Action
Who?
We will give more hours to Irish Sign Language services so
they are open at evenings and weekends.
 Department of
Justice and
Equality
We will put forward laws so that all public services must have
Irish Sign Language interpreters available to sign users.
Public services working together
Public services are working together to make sure people with
disabilities get the best supports.
Action
Who?
We will put together a plan on local health and education
groups.
 Department of
Health
These groups will meet to talk about how local services can
work together for children with disabilities.
 Department of
Education and
Skills
People with disabilities are supported to move from one stage of life
to another.
Action
Who?
We will set up systems and policies to support people to move
easily from one stage of life to another.
 All Government
Departments and
public services
People with disabilities and their supporters have a say in the
planning and design of services.
Action
Who?
We will give advice and talk with other groups on the National
Disability Strategy Inclusion Plan.
 All Government
Departments
We will check how the plan is working.
We will encourage community organisations to talk to people
with disabilities when planning and checking on their services.
 All Government
Departments and
public services
Education and Learning
People with disabilities are supported to reach their full potential.
Action
Who?
We will keep supporting children with disabilities in mainstream  Department of
pre-schools.
Children and Youth
Affairs
We will put supports in place to help children with disabilities
move from pre-school to primary school.
 Department of
Education and
Skills
We will look at the Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme.
We will ask schools to link SNA supports to individual plans for
each child.
The National Council for Special Education has given advice
on deaf education.
We will plan and start to use this advice in schools.
 Department of
Education and
Skills
 National Council for
Special Education
 Department of
Education and
Skills
 National Council for
Special Education
Action
Who?
The National Council for Special Education has given advice
on supporting students with autism.
 National Council for
Special Education
We will write a plan on how to use this advice in schools.
We will put together a policy and guide for parents and schools
on supporting students with autism.
Teachers and schools will be supported to learn new skills.
 Department of
Education and
Skills
Any changes in education laws and policies will support
teachers to learn about inclusion and special needs.
 The Teaching
Council
We will train teachers to work with all students, including
students with special needs.
We will employ more Educational Psychologists to make sure
that young children and teenagers get the supports they need.
 Department of
Education and
Skills
 National Council for
Special Education
We will change our guidelines so all new schools and buildings
for learning will be built following Universal Design rules.
Where possible we will change old buildings to make them
easier for people with disabilities to use.
.
 Department of
Education and
Skills
People with disabilities are supported to move easily from one stage
of education or training to the next.
Action
Who?
We will give parents and schools information on moving from
one stage of education to the next.
 National Council for
Special Education
We will plan with services so they work together to support
people with disabilities to move from one stage of education to
the next.
 All Government
Departments
 Schools and
Colleges
 Public services
 Education and
Training Boards
We will make sure that schools can use information technology  Department of
to help students with disabilities to learn.
Education and
Skills
We will put in place The Digital Strategy for Schools 2015 to
2020.
Employment – Work
People with disabilities have the opportunity to work and have a
career.
Action
Who?
We will support people with disabilities to get training and
employment through programmes such as the Employability
Service, Intreo, First Steps, the Wage Subsidy Scheme, and
the Reasonable Accommodation Fund.
 Department of
Social Protection
We will carry out the actions in Pathways to Work 2016-2020
We will raise the number of people with disabilities working in
the public service by 2024.
Universal Design will be a key part of our funding programmes
and talks with industry.
 All Government
Ministers
 Enterprise Ireland
 Industrial
Development
Authority
 Local Enterprise
offices
Action
Who?
We will write an autism guide for managers.
 National Disability
Authority
People who become disabled are given the supports they need to
remain in or return to work is they so choose.
Action
We will put together a national strategy to support people with
disabilities to get over barriers to work.
Who?
 Department of
Health
 Department of
Social Protection
 HSE
 Solas
 Education and
Training Boards
People with disabilities are financially better off in work.
Action
Who?
We will report to the Government by the end of 2016.
 Department of
Social Protection
 Make Work Pay
Group
We will suggest changes so that if a person with a disability is
working, they have more money.
Employers can easily get information about employing a person with
a disability.
Action
Who?
We will support the Employer Disability Information service with  National Disability
Authority
a helpline, website and by talking with employers.
Keeping Healthy and Well
People with disabilities are supported to have the best possible
physical, mental and emotional well-being.
Action
Who?
We will carry out the Healthy Ireland action plan.
 Department of
Health
 HSE
Mainstream primary, specialist and hospital services provide
accessible information, communication, and facilities for people with
disabilities.
Action
Who?
We will help community services to learn new skills so they can  HSE
give services and information to people with disabilities.
Person-centred supports – Getting the
supports you need to live your life
Disability services support individuals to live a fulfilled life of their
choosing.
Action
Who?
We will put the Transforming Lives programme into action so
people with disabilities can live ordinary lives in ordinary
places.
 HSE
 Disability service
providers
We will support and check on a new framework for personcentred planning in residential and day services.
 HSE
 Disability service
providers
We will give advice and information on person-centred
planning.
Disability services support individuals to be as independent as they
can be.
Action
Who?
We will change the culture in disability services from the ‘care’
to the ‘support’ model.
 HSE
 Disability service
providers
We will roll out the Informing Families guide.
 HSE
 Maternity units,
paediatricians,
multi-disciplinary
teams, GPs
 Disability service
providers
We will encourage disability services to support people to take
risks.
 HSE
 Disability service
providers
Disability services support individuals to take part in the everyday
life and activities of their communities.
Action
Who?
We will roll out a plan for the New Directions Personal Support
Services for Adults with Disabilities.
 HSE
 Disability service
providers
We will pay for Local Area Co-ordination pilots through Pobal.
 HSE
 Pobal
 Department of
Health
 Disability service
providers
We will keep a record of any important learning.
We will build communities that welcome and support people
with disabilities.
 Department of the
Environment
 Local Authorities
 Pobal
We will make sure that new buildings for arts, sport or leisure
are based on Universal Design rules.
 Department of
Tourism Transport
and Sport
 Department of Arts,
Heritage and the
Gaeltacht
 The Irish Sports
Council
 Local authorities
We will make sure that voluntary, sporting, cultural and other
organisations understand about disability.
 Department of
Tourism Transport
and Sport
 Department of Arts,
Heritage and the
Gaeltacht
We will help these organisations get the right skills to include
people with disabilities.
We will make sure that disability is clearly shown in funding
programmes.
Disability services support individuals to be active citizens.
Action
Who?
We will support people with disabilities to be active citizens.
 All Government
departments
 Disability service
providers
We will move forward with plans to make voting and
information about voting easier for people with disabilities.
 Department of the
Environment
Children and adults with disabilities have timely access to
assessment and early intervention, and the therapy, rehabilitation or
mental health services they require
Action
Who?
We will set up therapy teams for pre-school and school-age
children in all areas.
 HSE
We will put in place the Specialist Services Guide which looks
at how the needs of children with disabilities will be met by
children’s disability teams.
 HSE
We will put in place the Outcomes for Children and their
Families Framework.
 HSE
 Department of
Health
We will look at how the Progressing Disability Services for
Children and Young People Programme is meeting the needs
of children with disabilities.
 HSE
We will set up systems so disability and mental health services
work together.
 HSE
This will make sure that people with disabilities and mental
health issues can get the supports they need.
 Department of
Health
 Department of
Health
We will write a plan for the Neuro-Rehabilitation Strategy.
 HSE
We will spend money on the National Rehabilitation hospital.
 Department of
Health
We will make sure A Vision for Change is in place.
 HSE
 Department of
Health
We will write a plan to support Child and Adolescent Mental
Health Services, disability services and education services to
work together.
 HSE
 Department of
Health
 TUSLA
Disability services are delivered to high quality standards and in line
with international best practice.
Action
Who?
Service providers will register with HIQA, follow the laws and
standards, and take part in inspections.
 HIQA
The next round of HIQA inspections will focus on quality of life
outcomes.
We will review the regulations. We will talk to people about the
regulations. We will be guided by the NDA review of the first
year of inspection process for disability residential services.
 Department of
Health
The Quality Improvement Team in HSE Disability Services will
keep working.
 HSE
This team will start working in some services which are not part
of the HSE.
People with disabilities are involved in the planning, design and
evaluation of disability services.
Action
Who?
The National Disability Stakeholders Group will keep working
on the new National Disability Inclusion Strategy.
 Department of
Justice and
Equality
 National Disability
Authority
We will work on ideas put forward by the Reference Group on
involving people using mental health services.
 HSE
 Mental Health
Services
We will finish the work of Working Group 3 Transforming Lives
on talking with people using services.
 HSE
 Disability service
providers
We will move forward with an action plan.
Individualised funding will be introduced and the option of a
personal budget.
Action
Who?
We will give people with disabilities their own funding or
budgets so that they may look for services and supports that
meet their needs.
 Personalised
Budgeting Task
Force
 Government
departments
 Public services
We will set up a Taskforce to work out the best ways to give
out this money and to make sure it is used in the right way.
We will set up one needs assessment tool for disability
services.
 HSE
 Mental Health
Services
Housing – My Home
People with disabilities are supported to live an independent life in a
home of their choosing in their community
Action
Who?
We will close residential institutions and move people into their
communities.
 HSE
 Department of
Health
 Department of the
Environment
 Service providers
The Programme for Partnership Government wants to cut the
number of people living in institutions by 2021.
We will move 165 people from institutions in 2016.
We will go on with the National Housing Strategy for People
with Disability 2011 – 2016, and keep achieving the goals.
 Department of
Environment
We will develop a strategy and support services for people with  Department of
Health
disabilities who have dementia.
 HSE
New homes are designed to Universal Design standards and can be
easily adapted to people’s changing needs
Action
Who?
We will plan for a new building rule about housing and
Universal Design.
 National Disability
Authority
This will be based on advice from the National Disability
Authority in Building for Everyone.
The plan will be sent to the Government.
We will give out a guide on autism to people working in housing  Department of the
Environment
services.
 National Disability
Authority
 Local authorities
We will support people with disabilities to stay in their homes
by giving grants so they can make changes.
A grant is an amount of money.
 Department of the
Environment
 National Disability
Authority
Transport and easy access
People with disabilities are as able as their neighbours to get to
wherever they choose to go.
Public transport in both urban and rural areas is accessible.
Action
Who?
We will make public transport easier for people with disabilities
to use, especially buses, rural transport, bus stops and train
stations.
 Department of
Tourism, Transport
and Sport
 Bus Eireann
 Local Authorities
We will look at joining up the different types of transport and
transport information.
We will research different ways to give transport services in
smaller rural communities.
We will look at why some people with disabilities need to give
notice before they travel on a train.
We will cut the barriers for people with disabilities who want to
use public transport.
 Iarnróid Éireann
Action
Who?
We will ask people with disabilities about their experience of
using public transport.
 National Disability
Authority
We will suggest changes based on this.
We will write a set of rules to make sure everyone can use
public places and buildings.
 National Disability
Authority
We will check the rules for heritage sites and look at any
changes put forward.
We will build outdoor leisure facilities which everyone can use,
for example footpaths and trails.
 Local Authorities
 Irish Sports Council
We will change footpaths in towns and cities to let cars in and
out of houses.
 Local Authorities
This will be in line with advice from the NDA in Building for
Everyone.
We will have spoken and written announcements on public
transport.
 CIE
People with disabilities are able to access buildings and their
facilities on the same basis as everyone else.
Action
Who?
We will start a programme of education and training on
Universal Design for architects.
 National Disability
Authority
 Royal Institute of
the Architects of
Ireland
We will encourage the use of NDA guides such as Building for
Everyone and Universal Design Guidelines for Homes in
Ireland.
We will encourage the use of international standards to deal
with access issues in buildings.
 National Standards
Authority of Ireland
 Government
Departments and
organisations with
a role in developing
standards and
guidelines
 National Disability
Authority
People with disabilities and other users are involved in the planning
and design of public buildings and spaces.
Services talk to users of different ages, size, ability and disability.
Action
Who?
We will make sure that people with disabilities are included in
discussions about the design and planning of buildings and
spaces.
 Local Authorities