A recent infographic from the Disability Federation shows how the large numbers of people with a disability in Dublin are being failed. In employment, housing and especially in education, the figures tell a clear and grim story, that urgent change is needed.

Niamh McDonald, Independent Left candidate for Donaghmede LEA said:

Fifteen percent of Dublin’s population have a disability, that is over 81,000 people. Some of those disabilities can be seen others cannot. So far the city of Dublin is catered for those fully able, it needs to change. We need to create a city removes the obstacles that prevents people’s accessibility. We need to see the obstacles being the problem not the people, this should be in full consultation with those to affected by those obstacles #liveablecity

At the end of April the Department of Housing, Planning & Local Government released its most recent homeless figures. During March 2019 there were over 3,800 children who were homeless and 2,445 adults. This represents a rise on the same period in 2018 and shows that Fine Gael’s promises (and those of their ‘independent’ allies) to make housing the test of the success of the government to have been merely shadow play.

Niamh McDonald, Independent Left candidate for Donaghmede LEA said:

The majority of those children are from one parent families, those parents are mainly women. These figures are not the entire picture, there are women and children in refuges, the hidden homeless, Direct Provision and many on the streets are not counted.
This is a generation suffering and becoming institutionalised due to no fault of their own.
This can be solved but we need to vote out those who refuse to fix the problem FG, FF & Labour.
Some seem to think if your local FF or FG Cllr gets the road fixed or gets your windows done you should vote them back in, this will not create change, everything will just stay the same.
Its up to the people to change it because the establishment currently elected won’t change as it benefits them to much.