People with disability fear further cuts to their services in the forthcoming budget, the Disability Federation of Ireland said today.
In a pre-budget submission, the federation said it was concerned the National Disability Strategy (NDS) could be deemed unaffordable by the Government.
Federation chief executive John Dolan argued the budget needed to bring "certainty and hope" not only to people with disability, but to 40,000 full-time carers and thousands of volunteers across the country.
"As stated in its renewed programme, the Government 'will strongly progress the NDS in parallel with Ireland's economic recovery'," he said. "This means preventing erosion, even when times are tough, and building further as soon as times allow."
Mr Dolan said the voluntary disability sector was ready to make essential changes to sustain the scheme through the current period of fiscal difficulty.
"We need clarity on these critical issues or people with disability will live in state of uncertainty and lack of hope in the coming years - and this is simply unacceptable," he said.