A modest milestone for the disability movement occurred yesterday when leaders and senior members of the main political parties wore ribbons to mark European Day of Disabled Persons. The issue of disability has been marked throughout the EU on December 3rd since 1990 - but not much attention was paid to it here until yesterday when politicians accepted blue and yellow ribbons from the Irish Council of People with Disabilities and agreed to wear them for the day.
On one level the wearing of a ribbon is hardly an event of great significance. But on another, it marks the steady transformation of disability issues into political and civil rights issues.
Before another year has passed, the disability movement will want to see legislation giving people a right to services and to equal status, said Ms Frieda Finlay, spokeswoman for the Irish council. "Nothing will change until this is in place," she said.
Employment equality legislation published this week has completely watered down the rights which a previous Bill had proposed for people with disabilities, she said. That Bill had been found by the Supreme Court to be unconstitutional.
A companion Bill providing for equal treatment for people with disabilities - and for others - outside the workplace is also due to be reintroduced by the Government.
Ms Finlay said the move away from charity and towards rights was the key direction for the disability movement.