- Target:
- Taoiseach, All Government Parties
- Region:
- Ireland
Currently in Ireland Disability Allowance is means tested. People with disabilities are often forced into poverty by no fault of their own. So if you are married or co-habiting your disability Allowance will be means tested and decreased. The system is broken. Most people living with disabilities have hidden costs that healthy people would not. The government don't take this into account. Most people living in Ireland with disabilities have just about enough to live on e.g rent/housing, bills, food but are just surviving. For example we have more hospital visits, we often need more care, physio, assitive devices, housing adaptations. Our partners may be the bread winners and struggle to pay for our daily costs of living. Often disabled people struggle with mental health and feel disappointed that our "purpose" no longer exists. Due to not being able to work or find work. This affects our mental health. As if we didn't feel bad enough already. To live off a means tested payment is a kick in the face.
Myself, Christina McDonald is calling on the Government and all parties to end the Means testing for Disability Allowance.
The reason that I am looking for signatures on my petition is that so many people like myself that are living in Ireland with a disability are forced into poverty.
Once you are co-habiting or marry, your partner's income becomes part of your income and so your means tested. That seems okay in writing but unfortunately there are alot of hidden costs that come with having a disability. We have more hospital appointments, we may need assitive devices, therapies, physio, house adaptations. Our partners may be the main bread winners and struggle to pay all the bills, rent, mortgage, food shop, hospital visits, therapies etc.
Now the government will say they provide physio, therapies and appointments. This is true if you want to be on a waiting list for a year. It simply isn't good enough.
My disability Allowance is €75.20 a week. As someone who worked and paid taxes for over ten years, it's a slap in the face. Many of us feel bad enough as it is living with a disability and facing issues that healthy people do not.
Most of us live with just about enough to survive and this negatively impacts our mental health. I'm living with Multiple Sclerosis and unfortunately suffer with chronic nerve pain and have nerve damage in my left arm and leg. I cannot work full-time and it makes it hard for me to get a job as I'd be ringing in sick every week.
I am not the only one. There are thousands of people living with disabilities and barely surviving off their "allowance". No one asks to be disabled so it is not our fault if we cannot work and deserve more empathy and not be treated like second class citizens.
So I'd ask the government to seriously reconsider the disability Allowance means test. If you would like to experience what it is like to live with a disability and off your "allowance", come step in my shoes and live with me for a week. I bet you wouldn't last a day.
Come see what it's like for my partner also who works full time and also cares for me. Although we pay for everything ourselves or atleast my partner does, we barely make ends meet. I'm sure there are thousands others in our shoes. I sometimes think the government forget about the disabled. It's not that we choose not to work or want to work. It's a point that we cannot work or cannot find work that caters for our needs.
I've reached out to An Taoiseach (Micheal Martin) and Sinn Fein leader (Mary Lou)
Sinn Fein have been in touch but I'd love for Mary Lou to fight our cause. In this country it seems our rich get richer and poor get poorer. The disabled community are not second class citizens and deserve more from our government. In this country we seem to have to fight to be heard and I won't stop until I see change. Thank you very much.
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The End Means-testing on DISABILITY ALLOWANCE petition to Taoiseach, All Government Parties was written by Christina McDonald-Denton and is in the category Human Rights at GoPetition.