A chara, – Further to the discussion on anti-social behaviour on trains, it is not only on public transport that services has disimproved in a hunt for “efficiency”.
Who are organisations seeking to be “efficient” for?
We are steadily disempowering and marginalising more and more people by removing personal and telephone interaction from commercial and public services and companies.
We make many ordinary commercial, banking and public services available only to people who are able to use a computer. Try phoning one of these bodies with your question! Have you ever forgotten a password? This is all forcing many people into “special needs” categories.
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Some services have been developed to support people – in other words to compensate for the lack of user-friendliness in services. These support services are not nearly widespread enough and they lack the flexibility and timeliness to meet needs.
They cost the taxpayer and the public substantial sums of money because they depend on State grants or fundraising.
Above all, many people are denied the right to privacy and autonomy as they have to depend on either a family member, a volunteer, or a staff member from some special service or other in order to access a service that should be readily available to all.
Maybe we believe that these people don’t matter?
– Yours, etc,
SEAN KINSELLA,
Regional Community
Worker,
Multiple Sclerosis Ireland,
Dublin 6.