Press release
Doherty Announces €5m Funding to Support Employment Initiatives for People with Hearing Loss or Visual Impairment
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
Minister Also Announces Comprehensive Survey of 33,000 People with a Disability as Part of Research into the Cost of Disability in Ireland
The Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty TD has announced that, following the Government meeting this week, she has secured €5 million under the Dormant Accounts Action Plan 2020 for measures to provide employment supports for people with specific types of disability – particularly those who are deaf, deafened, who are hard of hearing or who have sight loss.
The Minister stated that her Department would be unveiling a scheme and call-out for funding applications in the coming weeks.
Speaking today, Minister Doherty said;
“While my Department has a comprehensive set of employment and income supports available for those with a disability, I want to do more and, with the €5 million secured under the Dormant Accounts Action Plan 2020, we can target measures aimed at carers returning to work, young carers and employment supports for people with specified types of disability, namely those who are deaf, deafened, are hard of hearing, who have sight loss, or multiple disabilities and visual impairment.
“In the coming weeks, we will put out a call for measures which will facilitate people with a disability access meaningful employment and fulfill their own potential within the workplace.
“Employment rates for people with disabilities are much lower than for the general population. According to the last Census, 13.5% of the population has a disability but, within the working population, only 6.5% have a disability. The employment rate for people with disabilities of working age is 37% compared to a rate of 62% for people of working age without a disability.
“We know that people with disabilities want to work. This was proven in my own department’s 2015 survey of Disability Allowance recipients in which 35% of respondents expressed an interest in working part time, while 8% expressed an interest in full time employment. I am determined that we do more to make this possible and today’s funding helps us to do that.”
The Dormant Accounts Fund is used by Government to fund programmes or projects which help people who are who are economically or socially disadvantaged who are educationally disadvantaged or persons with a disability.
The costs associated with Dormant Accounts measures are Exchequer neutral.
Cost of Disability Research
Meanwhile, Minister Doherty also announced today that the comprehensive research into the cost of disability in Ireland announced last year was now moving to its second phase. It is expected that this research, when complete, will help to inform policy decisions – from a whole-of-Government perspective – in relation to meeting the needs of people with disabilities.
The research seeks to address the following questions:
The research includes a mixed-method approach: an income survey, a “top-down” approach and a ‘bottom-up’ direct measurement approach.
On the latter, Minister Doherty stressed:
“I have always wanted this research to include data directly drawn from the experience of people with disabilities. As part of the engagement for this research, a survey will be issued to 33,000 recipients of the Department’s disability-related payments to get their input into this work. This will be followed up by structured interviews with a small sample of people with a disability or with their families. This very large sample is designed to ensure that the variety of costs incurred by people with a disability is taken into account and will give us the valuable insights we need to complete the survey and inform future policy.”
The research will be completed later this year.