Promoting Disability Equality in Ireland The Role of DESSA – the Disability Equality Specialist Support Agency Presentation to the FRC National Forum Tuesday 10 th March 2009

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.

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

Challenge of Inclusion  Premises inaccessible  Don’t know any disabled people  Not our responsibility – taken care of elsewhere  Don’t know how  Never been asked/never considered it  Fear of offending/doing the wrong thing

DESSA Work Capacity Building Networking Policy Development

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

Strategies Training Programme Partnership Work Childcare Inclusion Programme Steps to Participation Community Advocacy Research & Publications Community Inclusion Initiative

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

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

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

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

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

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