Submission 2003

Submission to the Forum of People with Disabilities Strategic Plan

June 2003

Introduction

Comhairle was established in June 2000 as a statutory body under the auspices of the Department of Social and Family Affairs. Comhairle amalgamates all facets of the work of the former National Social Services Board (NSSB) and the information and advice role of the former National Rehabilitation Board (NRB). Under the Comhairle Act 2000 it is the agency assigned a statutory responsibility for the provision of information, advice and advocacy services and for assisting and supporting people in accessing their entitlement to social services. Comhairle also has a responsibility to support the development of information services and to highlight issues that concern service users.

In carrying out its statutory functions Comhairle supports a network of 85 Citizen Information Centres. CICs are established as independent bodies with local Voluntary Boards of Management. Comhairle supports the Oasis and Citizens Information Database websites, www.oasis.gov.ie and www.cidb.ie. Comhairle also provides a comprehensive information support and training service to the National Call Centre and 52 Money Advice and Budgeting Services projects.

Comhairle and the Forum of People with Disabilities

One of the reasons for Comhairle's formation was the decision by the Government to introduce the mainstreaming concept in services for people with disabilities. Mainstreaming was designed to ensure that services for disabled people were provided by agencies that deliver services to the whole community. One of Comhairle's key functions is to support and assist individuals, in particular those with disabilities, in identifying and understanding their needs and options and in accessing their entitlement to social services.

Comhairle is proud of its connection with and support of the Forum since its formation in 2000. We are conscious that Forum has a long and proud history of representation by disabled people for disabled people. The Forum is almost unique in this regard and this is at the core of the strength of the Forum's work.

Comhairle is particularly happy to have supported innovative initiatives organised by the Forum during 2001 and 2002. "Choices and Rights", organised in conjunction with the Centre for Independent Living, a series of information workshops on how to use the Employment Equality and Equal Status legislation and the "Get Your Act Together" Conference organised by Forum, the Disability Federation of Ireland, NAMHI and People with Disabilities Ireland are the types of initiatives which Comhairle can continue to support within the Forum's new strategy, within the limits of Comhairle's resources.

The publication of "Advocacy, A Rights Issue" produced by Deborah Birmingham and launched by Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in December 2001 again saw the Forum to the forefront of an issue of concern to the disability sector as well as to all sectors with an interest in social inclusion. This publication, developed in conjunction with a broad range of organisations with an interest in advocacy and part supported by Comhairle, contributed to the start of the discussion in Ireland and has been a useful resource to many organisations.

Comhairle can continue to offer support to the Forum in the implementation of its new strategic plan in the areas of information, advice and advocacy.

Forum of People with Disabilities Strategic Plan Questionnaire

Part 1
The Aims and Values of Forum

1. It is extremely important that the Forum remains an organization governed by disabled people for disabled people. It is also important that the Forum finds ways to engage with all other players in the statutory and voluntary sectors which have an influence on the lives of disabled people.
2. It is extremely important that the Forum remains a broad based organization, representing disabled people with all disabilities and impairments. Organisations providing specialist information and services for particular impairments or groups of impairments have provided an essential service, however it is very important that disabled people have a forum where issues of concern / importance to all disabled people can be aired and represented.
3. It is important to remain independent, but secure long-term funding is also vital to ensure continuity of effort and long term planning.
4. The primary role of the Forum is representation of people with disabilities.
5. Policy formation and lobbying are a natural extension of the representative role. Availability of information is key to representation and to advocacy and neither will be successful without effective networking and collaboration with other organisations. I would add the social element as the Forum has a reputation as an organisation which considers the whole person in its approach to its work. This has involved the social and cultural aspects of the lives of people with disability particularly in relation to identity as well as the areas of rights and choices. Forum's work in the area of access for people with disabilities to the broad social and cultural life of the country remains very important.
6. Writing as a representative of Comhairle I am reluctant to state an opinion as to what the core values of the Forum should be, Core values should be decided in consultation with members, as the Forum is doing within this process.
7. The Forum of People with Disabilities has been to the forefront in the last number of years in promoting a positive image of people with disabilities. It has brought together people with a range of impairments and disabilities to create a broad lobby group on issues that affect all disabled people.

Parts 2 - 4

These sections are very much geared to individual members and are difficult to answer on behalf of an organization like Comhairle. How the Forum will develop in the future and the priorities which Forum chooses to concentrate on in the life of the new strategic plan are elements best decided by the membership.

However there are areas like communication, the information that members would like Forum to provide, the formats in which members would like to receive information etc. which would be very informative for Comhairle in terms of its own provision of and access to information in general for people with disabilities.

The Forum and the Arts

An area in which the Forum has been consistently imaginative and forward thinking is the development of arts and disability. Forum's Annual Report states that "one of the best ways to explore our identity and have fun at the same time is through the Arts".

The Forum's involvement in projects like Picture-Dis, Cabaret, and the course in performance arts provides people with disabilities a creative avenue to explore issues like identity and choice.

As this area is unique in the work of a representative organisation it is important that Forum develops and expands it, particularly because it is for disabled people an avenue of expression with much greater scope than verbal communication. Initiatives such as Cabaret, which articulates the experiences of disabled people and confronts issues like segregated education, political corruption and charity in an entertaining way, Access Stage Left which responds to an emerging interest amongst disabled people to explore performance as a creative means of expressing aspects of identity and the new Archive Project which aims to document the lives of disabled people through the perspective of disabled people, are all potentially powerful means of exploring issues, developing awareness and ultimately influencing policy.