About the NDA

The National Disability Authority (NDA) was established June 12, 2000. We are the independent statutory body that provides information and advice to Government on policy and practice relevant to the lives of persons with disabilities.

We assist the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in the co-ordination of disability policy. We also promote Universal Design through our Centre for Excellence in Universal Design.

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What We Do

The NDA completes various tasks including: policy and research; promoting Universal Design through our Centre for Excellence in Universal Design; and, developing and monitoring standards and Codes of Practice.

Kathryn O'Donoghue, Chairperson of the NDA

Who We Are

We’re a small statutory agency with almost 40 staff. We have 12 people on our Board and a Chairperson who directs and oversees all the work we do.

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Engaging with Disabled People

Our advice and guidance is informed by engagement with disabled people.

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Our Customer Services

We engage with a wide range of stakeholders and are committed to making sure our engagements are accessible.

Our Work and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

All the work we do at the NDA is informed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). It’s an international human rights treaty that exists to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all disabled persons.

The Convention applies established human rights principles from the UN Declaration on Human Rights to persons with disabilities. The Convention is monitored by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The Irish Government signed the Convention in 2007, and ratified it in March 2018. Ireland’s initial state report under the UNCRPD was issued to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in November 2021.

The UNCRPD contains 50 Articles in total, and 26 Articles cover all areas of life, including:

Health
Education
Employment
Equal Recognition before the Law
Freedom from Exploitation, Violence and Abuse
Accessibility
Living Independently and being Included in the Community

The Convention also offers intersectional perspectives. For example, there are Articles on women with disabilities and children with disabilities.

To ensure that people with disabilities enjoy the same human rights as everyone else, Article 33 of the UNCRPD required an independent monitoring mechanism to be established. It monitors the progress of the Government in improving its laws, policies and essential services. This ensures people with disabilities enjoy the same human rights as everyone else.

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) is the independent monitoring mechanism for the Convention in Ireland. Pending legislation, the NDA will provide information and statistics to IHREC to assist in its monitoring role.

Our Corporate Publications

We endeavour to reach the highest standards in our work. We produce reports about all our activities annually. We develop a new Strategic Plan every three years to ensure that our work remains relevant to the changing disability policy and practice landscape.

Our current Strategic Plan ends in December 2024. Our Strategic Plan 2025-2027 is available to read. There are five strategic priorities included in our Strategic Plan 2025-2027:

1. Advise on and support implementation of UNCRPD and national strategies through provision of robust, objective and evidence-informed advice and guidance.

2. Monitor, evaluate and guide performance across government on commitments and obligations to achieve inclusion for all.

3. Continue to promote adoption and application of a Universal Design approach across all sectors.

4. Engage strategically with our wide range of stakeholders, including disabled people through their representative organisations, to inform and enhance our advice and guidance.

5. Clearly communicate the value of our work, while maintaining and enhancing organisational effectiveness.

If you would like to learn more about what we’re doing to help improve the lives of people with disabilities in Ireland, then browse our reports by selecting the relevant link.