Mayo Man delivers demands on disability to Strasbourg Parliament

Click here to download a report of my trip to Strasbourg to lobby the European Parliment to improve access in the EU.Mayo Man delivers demands on disability to Strasbourg Parliament
Mayo Man delivers demands on disability to Strasbourg Parliament

A Momentary lapse in concentration and in the blink of an eye the course of Newport man Tom Chambers, life changed forever.
In the second it takes for the mind to slip without permission from consciousness into a half -sleep, Tom, behind the wheel of his car was sent careering off the road, stopped by a head on collision by a wall. He was found five hours later by the man whose wall he crashed into.
That was March 30th 1989,and that moment cost tom the use of his legs for the rest of his life. The many months of rehabilitation, of coming to terms with what happened and suddenly being faced with learning to live a whole new life-that all seems along, long time ago now. But it has started tom on a new and very different course in life ,one which has led him all the way to the doors of Strasbourg to hand deliver a list of demands, seeking action ,rather than words ,on the issue of rights for people with disabilities.
Last month, Tom joined 47 other Irish people as the single Mayo representative on the Strasbourg Freedom Drive 2007. This is the third time people with disabilities from all over Europe have come together to have their voices heard by meeting with M E Ps and submitting a list of demands.
Representing the centre of Independent living, Mayo, Tom’s own journey to Strasbourg involved a 3,000 kilometre round trip on a specially adapted bus. Flying anywhere, he says, has become harder and harder and the last time he took a flight his hip and ankle were so badly damaged that it took months to recover and his wheelchair went missing for over an hour on arrival at the other side. For Tom, this only highlights all the more just how important it is to get to Strasbourg and meet with the members of the European Parliament and try to influence future Europeans policy on disability.
As part of the three day drive campaigners from elgium,Bulgaria,France,Germany,Ireland,Italy,Norway,spain,Sweden and the U K. met with Mr Richard Howitt, M E P, and president of the European Independent Living Intergroup, to hand over a list of their demands.
Access to personal assistant services, which is absolutely vital if people with disabilities are to maintain an independent lifestyle, featured strongly. in Mayo alone, there are over 60 people on a waiting list for P A services, say’s Tom, and even when services are provided they can be limited. “living with a disability is seven days a week ,including Bank Holidays, ”he explains “and services need to reflect this.”
Another issue close to toms heart is that of proper access for people with disabilities
Our streetscapes .and buildings need to be designed using common sense ,he says there is little or no point in providing disabled parking space if the curb is so high that it cannot be accessed by a wheelchair user getting out of a car, he points out as a example of where policy makers are falling down because they are not applying simple common sense.
“Local representatives are failing people with disabilities“. he explains.
“all you have to do is ask someone who is living with a disability. It should be a given that they are the best people to tell you exactly what needs to be done and how best to do it.
“for such a rich Country, Ireland has failed people with disabilities. This is our third trip to Strasbourg and we shouldn’t have to go there .disability is never going to fade or go away.
It will always be an issue and we will keep returning to Strasbourg until we are listened to”