Baseline Study of Disability in Ireland

Lead Researcher: Eilionóir Flynn

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the transitionary phase identified in the Centre for Disability Law and Policy’s Strategic Plan by applying the high level values of dignity, autonomy, participation and social solidarity to Irish disability law and policy at grassroots level. It will undertake a detailed examination of the structure of Irish disability law and policy, using the upcoming review of the National Disability Strategy as a catalyst for change.

As the Strategy’s implementation is currently being monitored by government departments, the National Disability Strategy Stakeholders Monitoring Group and the National Disability Authority, the Baseline Study will complement this work by embedding tools for moving the dynamic of change forward, taking the principles and rights in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as guidelines. There are three aspects to this task of reframing the National Disability Strategy – imagining the substantive fields which should be covered, describing innovative mechanisms to drive change forward and proposing the types of indicators which will be needed to assess the progress being made. The study will contain three major parts as outlined below.

Part I – Contemporary International Trends and Policies

This section will outline the themes emerging from international disability law and policy and describe strategies for achieving these goals from international (UN Convention, Council of Europe Action Plan) and comparative (individual countries) perspectives. Part I will set out the ideal ingredients for a National Disability Strategy, including:

• fields to be covered and how these should be integrated
• focal points and monitoring mechanisms for implementing change – how these are to be pursued without operating in isolation
• indicators and data sets to determine progress – through progressive realisation and developing learning organisations within government

Part II – Ireland’s National Disability Strategy – The Story So Far

This part will undertake a detailed analysis of all the relevant events, legislation and reports which led up to the publication of the National Disability Strategy, from the report of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities in 1996 right up to present day. It will critically analyse the provisions of the National Disability Strategy and assess how these are currently implemented. Part II will also contain an accessible survey of current statistical information on the situation of people with disabilities and data collection tools used in Ireland – setting out what information is available and describing where gaps in data are apparent. This part of the study will attempt to draw out the over-arching vision behind current Irish disability law and policy, including the National Disability Strategy.

Part III – Mapping the Ideal Ingredients for a National Disability Strategy onto the Irish Context

This part will map the themes derived from Parts I and II onto Irish disability law and policy, focusing on how the next phase of the National Disability Strategy can adapt to achieve these aims. It will include case studies to demonstrate how progress can be achieved and contain some recommendations for reform. These recommendations should propose strategies for bringing the philosophy contained in the UN Convention and the Irish National Disability Strategy to bear at ground level, including by increasing public awareness around disability issues. The Baseline will set the parameters how to craft indicators which can accurately measure progress in Irish disability law and policy.

A major international conference on the main findings of the Baseline Study will take place at the Centre for Disability Law and Policy towards the end of 2010. The final report of the Baseline Study is due by the end of 2010, and its recommendations should inform the government’s review of the National Disability Strategy due in 2011.

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