A cost of living allowance is urgently needed to allow people with disabilities to take part in society, the Government has been told by disability organisations.
A weekend conference organised by the Forum of People with Disabilities heard of workers who are paid little or nothing for what they do, who get a "mobility allowance" of less than £10 a week to pay for taxis or cars with public transport inaccessible to them, and of people who cannot afford to keep their homes properly heated.
In a separate submission to the Government, the Disability Federation of Ireland says there is a "need for major investment in the supports and services that are available to people with disabilities and their families, who now number over 350,000 people."
The federation, in its submission, presses for the introduction of a cost of living allowance as recommended by the Commission for the Status of People with Disabilities, by a Department of Health review group and by the National Economic and Social Forum.
The DFI also sought an inflation-linked housing adaptation grant of at least £19,000, VAT relief for charities and a postponement of planned cuts in the Community Employment Scheme "until agreed replacement structures are in place."
The conference heard of numerous examples of the financial constraints affecting members. These include:
Disabled people working full-time but who are never paid a living wage because they are classified as being in training, even after more than a decade of work.
A disabled woman whose family had to raise funds locally to buy her a powered wheelchair to take her to and from college because the health board would not provide one.
When she began to apply for jobs she had to buy a car to get to interviews because the buses and trains were inaccessible. Her "mobility allowance" from the State comes to £40 a month.
A blind man who lives on £73.50 a week which "only allows me to barely exist from week to week." He cannot afford to heat his house adequately in the winter.
The forum co-ordinator, Ms Theresa McAteer, said that, as with all disability events, attendance was hit by the impossibility for some people of finding accessible transport to get them there.
This was not just a matter of being unable to attend conferences, she said.
For many, being trapped by absence of accessible transport was part of the daily reality of their lives.