Madam, - Finian McGrath TD (September 10th), writing on the rights of disabled people, says: "This important issue should never be used as a political football. The reality is that successive Governments have failed people with disabilities."
I would contend that it is the people of Ireland who failed the disabled down through the years. It has been the immense work of parents, other family, friends and a select minority that has prevented the disabled from being completely marginalised. What the majority of people contributed was a few bob here and there and a smile for "the poor cratur".
This is why the Special Olympics were so important. They served to break down the idea that people with disabilities were somehow apart from everyone else.
I agree we need strong, rights-based legislation to protect and advance the lives of the disabled. However, it is the people we need to take this argument to, not the Government. Change people's minds and have them say loudly enough that it this a priority, and the Government will follow.
We, the people, need to start to take responsibility for our actions and stop voting for governments and then claiming we bear no responsibility for what they do. In the last election one in three didn't see fit to vote at all. Almost another one in three of the people voted for this Government, yet if you stop anyone in the street, almost no one will admit to doing either. - Yours, etc.,
DANIEL K. SULLIVAN
(Fine Gael Area
Representative),
Collinswood,
Dublin 9.