*The motion was debated at the December meeting of Clare County Council.
LACK OF ACCESSIBILITY at facilities across the county are depriving persons with disabilities of opportunities.
Clare County Council are to request the Taoiseach and Minister for Finance “to establish a grant scheme for the hospitality sector to upgrade toilets to provide disability access facilities, ensuring that individuals with disabilities are not excluded from participating in social interactions”.
It follows a proposal from Cllr Ian Lynch (IND) at the December sitting of the County Council. He said he tabled the motion after speaking with the father who has had to continually fight for his wheelchair bound daughter. “He went through her adolescence of fighting continually for services”.
Changing Places Ireland (CPI) was formed in 2014 by Ann Healy who six years previously came across Changing Places UK, a website promoting toilets with a ceiling track hoist and adult sized height adjustable changing bench. Initial success of the movement saw changing places toilets installed in Trinity College, Aras an Uachtarain and Dundrum Shopping Centre.
Since January 1st 2024, legislation was introduced to provide for an include changing places toilets in the Building Regulations Part M (Access & Use). On June 26th Anne Rabbitte (FF) during her time as Junior Minister for Disability launched the National Disability Authority (NDA) and Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (CEUD) Guidelines for Changing Places Toilets. This publication is the go-to manual for anyone considering installing a Changing Places Toilet.
Cllr Lynch continued, “there is wheelchair taxi available in Kilrush or West Clare”. To celebrate securing a recent job, the woman went out to celebrate with her friends, not long after dropping her out, the father received a call to collect his daughter because “there was no facility there for a person on a wheelchair to go to the toilet. We take so many things for granted when we are able bodied. She worked hard to get her job, she went out to celebrate but it was taken away from her”.
Kilrush based Lynch acknowledged that the hospitality sector is under pressure nationwide. “Simple things make such a difference and a positive change,” he stated. Lynch added, “We need to start some place, put in a grant system in place and upgrade the facilities”.
Seconding the proposal, Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF) said, “it is something that is very close to my heart, I work with many people with disabilities, they are not a minority, they are part of a family and if they can’t go somewhere then the whole family can’t go which is wrong”.
An audit of buildings “would be worthwhile,” Cllr Joe Killeen (FF) maintained. He suggested this piece of research also include GAA facilities.
Voicing his support, Cllr Tommy Guilfoyle (SF) labelled it “a vital motion”. He outlined that one member of the Sinn Féin cumann in Ennis is wheelchair bound, “the amount of organising we have to do to organise a trip or a meeting is something we shouldn’t have to do”. He added, “It is time to step up to the plate and put procedures in place”.
Recalling the foundation of Changing Places, Cllr Mary Howard (FG) noted, “at the time they were changing young people on the floor which I thought was unconscionable”. She pointed out that Elm Café is among the locations in Clare to have introduced facilities “to embrace the protocol and indeed the new library does, it should be part of planning for any business that this is facilitated”. She said that Clare Leader Forum during a previous briefing before the Council detailed that “the best part of 20,000 people in the county are disabled”.
Praise for the manner in which Cllr Lynch put forward the motion was praised by Cllr Antoinette Baker Bashua (FF). “You made it very real which is what we need to hear, we had a personal story behind it”. She told the meeting, “I spoke with Senator Mark Daly (FF) this weekend, he told me the story of fighting to make sure that anybody that was deaf could now get a translator in a public building, sadly we still have to fight for these campaigns”.
“This is another must, this is something which has to be sanctioned, the timing is excellent with the forming of the new Government, these are points to be brought to the table,” stated Cllr John Crowe (FG). “Any new building is obliged to have wheelchair access as per planning regulations, it goes as far as new houses,” pointed out Cllr Michael Begley (IND).
Cathaoirleach of the West Clare Municipal District, Cllr Rita McInerney (FF) flagged, “the lack of availability for taxis in the more rural parts of the county”. She stressed, “The provision of wheelchair taxis is something we have to look at”. Red Cross “provide a fantastic service, they can help people get access to a service,” Cllr Guilfoyle replied.
Concluding the discussion, Cllr Lynch believed what was said across the Chamber “just shows the importance and that we don’t take any notice when we are able bodied”. He said, “Our own little fella has a disability but we’re lucky he doesn’t have a physical disability. I got so upset talking to the father because he has to fight for everything”.
