Disabled NOT welcome in Rep of Ireland Forums

Wanderwagon3

We had a month in Ireland last June2003. Expensive but pleasant enough and we had good weather...BUT

Occasionaly selected site from the Irish Caravan Council Site Book where Dis A logo was displayed. ( I am registered Dis A and need crutches to walk )

On about 3/4 occasions on arrival at site no Dis A Facs were there, or such as there were, were minimal or disagreeable. For eg...a line of 4 WCs the 4th had a door wider than the others by 3 inches...no raised pan, no grab rails, no alarm. Also no shower. On another the only DisA WC was tucked away such as it could only be reached through the (visible to all) ladies wash basin area. Again no shower.

These sites had displayed the DisA logo in their list of facilities.

This year there are NO Disabled Facilities displayed anywhwere in the ICC sit book as far as I can see! We are not going again. I have emailed to ICC about this . I await their reply.

Ken with Wanderwagon2

autostratus · Moderator

Hi Ken.

Pleased to see you posting here. It's just a little busier than when you first registered. Smile

Over 1100 registered members now. Incredible growth.

dodger148

Many places in this country think if they make a cubicle wider that constiutes disabled facilities which is not true as you say. Other factors should also be considered. Although we have the DDA it takes time to sink in to owners of buildings what they have to do and if there is no decent DDA Advisor then it takes longer. The classic I saw, nice disabled facilities, well done in all respects, but if you couldnt walk, you couldnt get in the building about 6 steps, and that was NHS property !!!
Patience is a virtue - if you an wait that long !!!!

Drifter

Hi Wanderwagon

Wow ! I didn't know that the Irish Republic was so backward in this. I've always assumed that the Irish are pretty switched on and civilized when it comes to facilities, particularly when it comes to the hospitality industry. I am shocked and amazed that there are no standards for disability provisions in Ireland and appear not to have not yet set standards that are required under EU regulations.

I looked up the situation on

Anonymous

hi it's not only ireland,we went to a poachers pocket resturant here in the midland's,their was parking close to the entrance but not one bay for the disabled. the rest of the carpark was at the top of a steep hill,as you can guess the lower parking was all full,still we went in and the toilet's are at the bottem of a long staircase with no facility's at all for the disabled,i'm lucky that i can get around with a walking stick, but i do find slope's and stair's verry difficult,but in a chair toilet's would have been impossible.on another note we went into a furniture store the other day witch i could not get round on a stick so i pointed out to the manager it was a fire risk, he said it wasn't so i told him he was lucky not to have any dissability then,so then he offered to help,told him that his was the last place i'd part with my money and walked out. that's it rant over
pete

dodger148

In this country, places like this are required to have disabled amenities and they should be reported to local DDA people. Some chains and organisations have been very slow to adapt buildings due to cost But they have to do it

peedee

If you think you have been discriminated against you should first try to resolve the problem with the person or organisation which is causing you the difficulty before approaching anyone else. If you then feel you are not getting satisfaction you could try taking it further and I would suggest you go to you local Citizen Advice Bureau first. I wasn't aware that there were local DDA advisers Dodger unless you are refering to Local Comunity Legal Services and your local CAB may well point you in that direction if your complaint was reasonable. That dreaded word 'reasonable', the escape clause for everthing! Thats my view anyway. Crying or Very sad

If you just want advice about the DDA act then an email to the DRC at

keng

"I think your right to avoid Ireland if you are disabled."

Rolling Eyes

Doesn't really need any further comment does it.

brezcraft

I disagree with a lot of the comments on this subject.

I spend perhaps 75% of my time in the Irish Republic, and in any spare time there i am a volunteer bus driver for the Irish Wheelchair Association.

I tour both Ireland and Britain with them every summer, and there have been no complaints (as far as i know) about WC facilities.

Stopping off at a Little Chef on the M6 last summer the owners took 10 minutes to remove their pet bull terrier from the Disabled loo, but thank goodness my passengers saw the funny side of it.

The situation mentioned above exists in certain places in EVERY country, not just in Ireland.

brez.

mauramac

I am sorry to read these posts about problems in Ireland for the disabled but could I just say a couple of things on this matter. Ireland is a beautiful country with a great many lovely people who go out of their way to welcome you. I know they SHOULD have all the facilities for disabled people in place but they obviously don't. They also do not have all the facilities in place for able bodied people.

Most have in place what they think is OK and possibly what they can get away with - no offence meant but this is part of the culture that is Ireland. My Mum was Irish and I am fiercely loyal of all things Irish, but I am also realistic and I know that political correctness has still to reach a great many parts of this wonderful country.

A dear friend of mine who is disabled and in her early 30's had