Theatre turned away disabled man

A wheelchair-bound Dublin man has called on the Arts Council to review access facilities at the venues it funds after he was turned away from Dublin's Peacock Theatre despite having attended plays there for 30 years.

Mr Declan O'Keeffe, who suffers from cerebral palsy, has also called on the Government to withhold funding from the board of the Abbey Theatre, which runs the Peacock, for its centenary celebrations until the Peacock had "full access for everyone". The theatre is located in the basement of the same building as the Abbey.

The 49-year-old librarian from Terenure said he was turned away two weeks ago by the same staff who had always helped him down three flights of stairs to see plays.

"When I went in to see Doldrum Ba , the staff told me they couldn't accommodate me. They said they were sorry but that they had been told by [Dublin City Council's] chief fire officer that they shouldn't offer assistance to wheelchair-users.

"I was more angry than disappointed. I just had to turn around and go home. In the Gate Theatre about five years ago they put in a lift, making it totally accessible."

Mr O'Keeffe, who was a co- founder of the Centre for Independent Living in 1992, said his personal assistant and three or four staff members at the Peacock had always carried his wheelchair down the steps at the theatre.

The theatre's managing director, Mr Brian Jackson, said his staff had been "backed into a corner".

"The fact that Mr O'Keeffe was turned away is very regrettable from our point of view, particularly in light of the fact that is the European Year of People with Disabilities." he said.

Staff at the Peacock had recently attended a safety seminar run by Dublin Fire Brigade and had been advised that the practice of carrying wheelchair-users into the theatre should be discontinued on safety grounds until proper provision was made for them.

Advice had been sought from safety experts on how access could be improved in the short to medium term.

In the longer term, the Government had indicated it wanted to refurbish the theatre and when that took place wheelchair access would be greatly improved. He was unable to say when that might happen.