Persons with disabilities in Ireland are the forgotten people of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has claimed.
Mary Lou McDonald called on the Ireland Government to restore disability services and provide additional funding for the sector in the Budget.
She said she had been contacted by hundreds of families who had seen their loved one “regress and deteriorate” due to the lack of services in recent months.
“Everybody seems to have forgotten the children and adults who have disabilities. They’ve been left at home with no consistency or back-up,” she said, Quoting the testimony of a mother with a child with disabilities.
She described the correspondence she has received as the “unvarnished reality” of people’s lives without these services.
Mary Lou McDonald said a lack of services had seen some people with disabilities ‘regress and deteriorate’ (PA)
The Taoiseach admitted that the withdrawal and curtailing of services had made conditions “very stressful” for many people.
“I accept that many, many families and many people with special needs and disabilities have had an extremely stressful and tough time during this pandemic,” he said.
Mr Martin said additional money had been allocated to enable adult day services to resume, but he added there would be further difficulties and restraints due to the move to level three coronavirus restrictions across the country.
“Day services have reopened at 40% capacity through August and September. That said, it is far short of what people require and need.”
He added that providing additional funding for disabilities had been discussed in Government ahead of next week’s budget.
