South and East Belfast Sinn Féin -- Building an Ireland of Equals

South and East Belfast Sinn Féin Urge Support for Disability Rights

Published: 19 September, 2007

Disability Petition

Disability Petition

Sinn Féin Representatives in South and East Belfast today urged the public to support the party's signature drive in support of the European '1Million4Disability Campaign'

Alex Maskey MLA said:

"The 1Million4Disability Campaign was launched in January of this year by the European Disability Forum (EDF) with the objective of collecting 1 million signatures for presentation to the European Commission and President of the European Parliament on October 4th.

"The campaign is about getting the EU to introduce effective legislation to combat all forms of discrimination and guarantee full inclusion of the more than 50 million people in the EU who live with disabilities.

"As the deadline is approaching and Ireland is short 4,000 signatures our Party agreed with the campaign that Sinn Féin would assist by organising a country wide signature collection drive.

"This campaign is very important for Ireland. Since the introduction of the Disability Act 2005 discrimination against people with disabilities in terms of access to services has actually increased by 16%.

"This years Equality Tribunal annual report revealed that 23% of the total case files opened during the previous year were by those with disabilities experiencing discrimination in the workplace or accessing services,

"The Authority's Chief Executive said at the launch of the report that the barriers faced by people with disabilities were so prevalent that many thousands were left effectively 'housebound'. This is a shameful indictment of the government.

"A measure of any society is how it looks after the needs of it most vulnerable. Sinn Féin continues to fight for an Ireland of Equals.

Niall Ó Donnghaile added:

"In Belfast City Centre tomorrow Sinn Féin members will be asking people to sign the petition. On a daily basis across Ireland people living with disabilities live with inequality and face unacceptable barriers. This is a simple and practical way that everyone can play a role in ensuring the rights of people with disabilities are protected and promoted. We are hoping that Ireland can far exceed its quota and help reach the 1 million signatures needed. " CRíOCH

The petition can be signed online at

www.1million4disability.eu