Below is a brief summary of some of our key (but background) moments which don’t necessarily make it onto the usual website of info@vvi.ie fare.
New Rep
January 2021 got off to a great start, with VVI gaining a new member of our reps team; that is, Ed Harper, based in west Cork, who has an outstanding record in rights-based campaigning, and we count ourselves very lucky to have the benefit of his wisdom.
David Nestor, our second Meath rep, has stepped back from much of his PPN role in order to concentrate on recovering from a serious illness, and we all keenly wish David a very speedy and long-lasting recovery. Many thanks to Gillian Stafford for temporarily, but very ably, stepping into David’s shoes as VVI rep on Meath PPN.
Irish Rail
In June 2020, the long and hard work by VVI’s Barry O’Donnell, campaigning for the provision of mobile phone numbers for commuter passengers wanting to contact “hub stations” for assistance, finally came to fruition. Some creases are still to be ironed out.
The mobile numbers are available at:
https://www.irishrail.ie/travel-information/accessibility-onboard-trains/access-dart-northern-commuter
Barry’s long campaign for better audio signage on Luas regarding dual destinations (e.g., Busaras or the Point), is also making some headway, with noticeable improvements on some lines. Ultimately, we push for platform announcements.
Prisoners with a Visual Impairment
VVI was proud to have attended a conference of civil society organisations with an active interest in The Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT), and In particular, the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) designed to independently monitor the conditions of Inmates in Irish prisons, as part of the UN Convention Against Torture (UNCAT0. VVI has an ongoing concern for the conditions of prisoners with visual impairments, and we look forward to having the resources and supports to be able to play our part in the NPM.
Bus Éireann
In August, 2020, VVI joined Bus Éireann’s Disabled User Group, with Barry O’Donnell as our talented representative. VVI is now represented on the Disabled User Groups of Irish Rail, Dublin Bus, and Luas, as well as Bus Éireann.
DPC Network
VVI is a founding member of the DPO Coalition, and in September, 2020, the Coalition became one of the five funded members of the Disability Participation and Consultation Network (DPC Network). In January, VVI officially became a member of the Network in its own right. The Network is the State’s effort at box-ticking Article 4.3 of the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD). The Network’s start has been inauspicious, and we have concerns that it might be a white elephant, but all this can change if the State finally formally acknowledges the prioritisation of DPOs in consultations, as guaranteed under the CRPD.
DPO Coalition’s Shadow Report
On Wednesday evening, February 10th, eight VVI members, in our own break-out room, participated in the DPO Coalitions focus-group stage of research for the purposes of its shadow report on the State’s implementation of the CRPD, to be published later in the year. Themes covered included health, education, employment, and independent living. The meeting lasted for more than two hours, but genuinely, the feedback has been very positive, and it has given us a renewed confidence in Zoom in facilitating larger meetings of VVI.
Numbers were capped at eight, and so, we had not enough places to meet the demand. However, no-one will be left behind in having their voice count, and anyone who has not so far had a chance to take part, will have a chance in the next researches phases.
VVI’s own shadow report will focus on Article 4.3 of the CRPD, which is a crucial, but macro/legal component of the Convention. Without Article 4.3 being implemented, nothing else can follow. VVI continues to use our position as a national DPO to represent people with a visual impairment in our campaigning, on a daily basis, for accessible policies and design, based on the lived experience of our members, and this focus is always at the core of our overall project.
Regarding other aspects of disability, other DPO Coalition members are inviting outside participation in their own research projects.
AsIAm, the national DPO focussing on autism, is looking for written or recorded submissions regarding its shadow report on the CRPD, and is arranging two Zoom meetings, the first to be held on March 1st, with Alistair de Gaetano.
More information at
https://asiam.ie/webinar-education-rights-uncrpd/
The second is a Healthcare webinar on Wednesday 3rd March from 7-9., with Dr. Mary Doherty, an autistic doctor and researcher. She has co-written research on the barriers to Our link to the first talk with Alistair on Monday 1st March from 7-9 is now live:
More information at https://www.asiam.ie
Disabled Women Ireland (DWI), are inviting all women and non-binary people over the age of 18 who identify, sensory impairment, or mental health condition, as having a disability, to join them in responding to the State’s report on the CRPD. Accordingly, DWI invites relevant parties to three Zoom meetings on any of these dates:
- Wednesday, March 3rd, 3-5pm
- Saturday, March 6th, 11am-11pm
- Monday March 8th, International Womens Day, 7-9pm.
To register, email disabledwomenireland@gmail.com by March 1st, with your name, date of the discussion you’d like to attend, and which topics you would like to discuss, your specific access requirements, if any. Written submissions are also welcome.
More details on www.disabledwomenireland.org
Right to Vote
In October, VVI’s Robbie Sinnott was a guest-speaker at the 10th birthday special webinar celebration of the Public Interest Law Alliance (PILA). It was through PILA that Robbie was able to take a case to the High Court in order to win the right to vote for people with a severe visual impairment – a case which he won in 2017. The theme of the webinar was ‘using the law to obtain rights’, a theme very close to VVI’s heart. VVI continues to work with the Dept. of Housing in order to make voting accessible to people with a severe visual impairment. The accessibility gap is still massive. This year will see the inauguration of a new election or voting commission, and we are hoping things will improve in the meantime, and afterwards.
Web Help
In November, Colin Eyre, from Iconology.ie, kindly agreed to offer pro bono services in helping with our website and content. He joins the brilliant Trevor Lyons who has been managing the website by himself up until now. We should say that the site is still very much under construction, and any shortcomings are not a result of Colin’s expertise, but of our own testing and feedback mechanisms which are still ongoing.
Milestone in Public Sector Equality Duty
Under the Human Rights and Equality Commission Act (2014), every statutory body must take steps to build the protection of the rights of minorities into its framework. Fulfilment of this obligation has generally been zero, or close to zero, since 2014. VVI is pleased to say that it was part of the first consultation of a Local Authority on implementation of its Public Sector Duty. In January, 2021, we participated in a consultative meeting with Meath County Council on its plans to take the Public Sector Duty obligations seriously. More information on the Public Sector Duty can be found at www.ihrec.ie
Call for Members
Membership of VVI is open to anyone in Ireland who has a visual impairment, and all are welcome, unconditionally (apart from the condition of being visually impaired). To join us, please write to info@vvi.ie, and you will be sent your membership number.It’s as easy as that. If you are already a member, please share our invitation to and with anyone you know with a visual impairment.
Issues
VVI reps are tirelessly campaigning on many fronts (most of which are not mentioned in this newsletter). We depend on the pool of expertise of our members. If you are a member of VVI, and if something is a significant problem for you, please let us know, and we will work on the issue in an inclusive way, and make sure that the perspective is counted in our policies and position papers, in line with our Constitution. Again, please contact info@vvi.ie.
Reminder
Anyone who wishes to take part in the DPO Coalition Consultation on your lived experience and issues relating to your visual impairment, which takes place at 7-9pm on Wednesday February 10th, please contact info@vvi.ie before noon on Tuesday. Your voice is not only welcome, it makes us who we are.