The Changing Face of Disability Legislation, Policy and Practice in Ireland

In the early 1990s, disability legislation, policy and provision in Ireland experienced seismic changes. These were brought about by international influences and by a concerted effort on the part of the centre-left government in office at that time. A ‘bottom-up’ approach was applied in order to uncover the experiences and identify the needs of people with disabilities throughout the country. Emanating from this, a Report published by the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities in 1995 made 402 recommendations in 22 target areas based on the UN Standard Rules. An evaluation of the impact of this report in 1999 revealed that almost 75 per cent of the recommendations have been or are in the process of being implemented. However, these changes have as yet all taken place at the macro level, and their impact at the micro level – on the lives of people with disabilities – particularly relative to employment has so far been negligible. It may be that the changes made at the macro level are only aspirational, and that more intervention is required to make a difference at the micro level. Alternatively, it may simply be that more time is needed for the changes to filter down to the micro level. Only time will tell

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