Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: NDA Opening Statement 25 June 2025

National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People

The NDA supported the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE) in conducting the broad public consultation that informed development of this Strategy. We have a clear understanding of the ongoing frustration of disabled people and their representative organisations with gaps in service and barriers to inclusion, particularly where these barriers persist in spite of existing legislative and policy obligations. Almost 22% of the current population of Ireland indicated some kind of disability in Census 2022. It is clear that a population cohort of this size must be included in the mainstream delivery of services across government, as silo-ed approaches are neither effective nor in keeping with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).