Promoting Disability Equality in Ireland The Role of DESSA

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Promoting Disability Equality in IrelandThe
Role of DESSA the Disability Equality
Specialist Support Agency
Presentation to the FRC National Forum Tuesday
10th March 2009
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Social Model of Disability

• Restrictions imposed on disabled people are not
  a natural or inevitable consequence of their
  impairment but are a product of a social
  environment which fails to take into account
  certain people.

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Goal

• To change society so that disabled people can
  participate on an equal basis with everyone else
• Delivery of strategic supports to Family Resource
  Centres
• FRCs identify actions to include all members of
  their communities

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Challenge of Inclusion

• Premises inaccessible
• Dont know any disabled people
• Not our responsibility taken care of elsewhere
• Dont know how
• Never been asked/never considered it
• Fear of offending/doing the wrong thing

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DESSA Work

1. Capacity Building
2. Networking
3. Policy Development

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Mission

• DESSA will pursue the active involvement and
  full participation of disabled people in society
  by delivering strategic supports to Community
  Development Organisations

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Steps to Mainstream Participation

• A series of programmes and supports designed to
  empower disabled people and community development
  practitioners with knowledge and capacity to
  ensure the active participation of disabled
  people within the community

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Community Advocacy

• Use the FRC model as a means of providing
  representative advocacy services to disabled
  people and their families
• Disabled people will have access to a
  professional and effective advocacy service
  within their local community

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Community Inclusion Initiative

• The Community Inclusion Initiative will bring
  together FRCs and other stakeholders in the West
  Cork / South Kerry region to develop a coherent
  strategic approach to the inclusion of families
  experiencing disability

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Community Inclusion Initiative

• A model of good practice for the inclusion of
  disabled children within community based
  childcare and play settings which contributes to
  the overall mainstreaming of disabled children
  within their communities
• Establishment of a peer support structure for
  parents of disabled children

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Project Background

• June 2007
• Meeting with the Caha Centre and local parents
• Family Support Inclusion Network
• 2006 2007
• DESSA Childcare Inclusion Programme
• 92 childcare and play workers trained in
  Inclusive Provision
• Manual of Best Practice developed
• Framework for accredited Early Years
  Training

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What we hope to achieve?

• Awareness of Inclusion
• Provision of support and training enabling
  inclusion
• Engagement with parents
• Build ways and means for communities to meet
  disabled children and their families