Calls For More Disabled Parking In Dungarvan
The Waterford Disability Network has launched a campaign calling for additional disabled parking spaces in Dungarvan. Following a survey of disabled parking in the town, it was found that the number of spaces in Dungarvan falls short of the Irish Wheelchair Association’s recommended minimum.
Members of the Waterford Disability Network committee recently met with local Councillors Pat Nugent, Declan Doocey, and Green Party TD Marc Ó Cathasaigh in Dungarvan to discuss the issue.
Speaking after the meeting, Críostóir Ó Faoláin, who is leading the campaign with Waterford Disability Network said: “Parking has been an issue in the town for a long time, but no matter what way you look at it parking in the town centre will always be limited. The least we can do is make sure that the people who need it most have access to parking in the town centre. An able-bodied person like myself can walk a little further to get where I’m going, but not everyone has that option. We can and should make at least the minimum number of disabled parking spaces available in our town centre.”
Críostóir Ó Faoláin added “We are calling for a full review of disabled parking in the town centre to be carried out, and for a plan to ensure that progress is made in providing at least the minimum number of disabled parking spaces by redesignating 27 parking spaces around the town as disabled parking.”
The group has started a petition, available on the WDN Facebook page, to invite people to show their support for their campaign. Over 100 people have signed the petition to date, including over 50 businesses located in Dungarvan town centre.
Thank you to our W.D.N. fundraising sub committee (Melissa, Emily, Seán & Jo), that worked conscientiously on this Pobal application for funding under the Community Centres Investment Fund.
Absolutely delighted that we can now make the necessary adaptations and improvements to make our premises totally accessible to adults, youths and children with a range of disabilities.
W.D.N. will be upgrading our lighting system, which will not only be autism friendly, but will deliver tremendous savings in our use of electricity, enabling our organisation to become more energy efficient and ecologically friendly.
Conference on Autism
Text of article: The self-discovery of living with autism by Dermot Keyes
Carmel Hennessy stood before the microphone at St. Patrick’s Gateway with calm, understated confidence.
She told the gathering assembled at the inaugural Waterford Disability Network (WDN) Conference on Autism that she’d written down what she needed to say on a sheet of A4 paper. As she shared her story, Carmel spoke from the heart with colour, eloquence and clarity. I suspect there’ll be few better speeches I’ll report on all year.
“I was officially diagnosed as autistic about two years ago, just before the pandemic hit”, she began.
“The signs were probably always there but it wasn’t until I went to the National Learning Network (NLN, on the Cork Road) to do a retail course that things began to fall into place and I began to see others with kind of similar world views. For me, it was like being an ugly duckling and walking in and seeing a load of other swans and thinking, ‘woah, this is interesting’. An amazing journey was about to begin for me.”