Sir, - I read with interest the feature (July 9th) on Sile de Valera's first year as Minister for Arts, Heritage, the Gaeltacht and the Islands. I would like to highlight one area of her work that was overlooked in the report: the exceptional support that the Minister has given to increasing access to the arts for people with disabilities.A significant number of people in Ireland have disabilities and, in the past, there have been few arts programmes available to this constituency. Before ever becoming a Minister, Sile de Valera actively supported arts and disability and spoke out on issues of access and equality. On becoming Minister, one of her first initiatives was the appointment of a member of her staff to liaise with relevant Departments and bodies on disability programmes and policy development.Sile de Valera has made disability a priority issue for her department and for the Arts Council. As a result the arts sector is fast becoming a leader in the move away from the traditional charity model to creating a practice which provides equal opportunities to all the citizens of Ireland.Very Special Arts Ireland welcomes the new emphasis being placed on disability by the Minister, an emphasis which offers the best possibility for change since our organisation was founded some 15 years ago. - Yours, etc.,Eugene O'Keeffe,Secretary,VSAI,Moss Street,Dublin 2.