On April 3rd, the Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI) held its national conference ‘Citizen Engagement – Local Government by Local People’ in Dublin Castle. The upcoming local elections on the 23rd May 2014 gave a context to the event which was built thematically around the new reforms to local government, giving representatives greater responsibilities in the areas of spending and development and opportunities for people with disabilities and others to become active participants in decision-making affecting their lives and communities.
Through the conference, DFI aimed to address the following questions:
- What is the role of local decision-makers and local government in facilitating the engagement of people with disabilities and other groups living in the community?
- How do people with disabilities as well as other stakeholders in the community become actively engaged at local level?
- How can local representative structures be best utilised to facilitate that engagement?
In his opening address, CEO of DFI John Dolan, welcomed local government reform but cautioned that it would not bring about greater social inclusion in and of itself. Changes in political representation and how decisions are made signalled an opportunity which could be either realised or squandered he said. He went on to point out that the current crisis management approach of a singular focus on jobs and economy would leave in its wake a toxic social legacy and lost decade.
Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Phil Hogan, expressed optimism and excitement at the new framework for public consultation whereby citizens are set to become active participants in decision-making affecting their lives and communities. Father Sean Healy of Social Justice Ireland spoke from a more pragmatic position, sharing with delegates insights into the mechanisms through which real engagement would be made accessible to local citizens. He explained the operating protocols of the new public participation networks (PPNs) which would give equal representation to social inclusion, voluntary engagement and environmental groups acting as spokespersons for local people. PPNs’ focus on the well-being of this and future generations, as opposed to immediate and urgent issues, he pointed out, would represent a welcome and much needed shift. Fr Healy endorsed local government reform both as an unprecedented opportunity to mobilise civil society and for providing a structure for this to happen. However for the new system to be truly effective, he urged that it cannot and must not solely give voice to people whose voices are already loud.
In the ‘Experiences of Citizens Engagement for People with Disabilities’ panel, Maureen Browne and Deborah Hickey of Step Forward Disability Group based in Hospital Family Resource Centre (FRC), Co. Limerick, spoke out against spending cuts and described as vital the role of supports and services in the lives of people with disabilities. In raw and intimate accounts, Maureen and Deborah variously described the impact of Step Forward on their own lives as ‘a life saver’, ‘a new lease of life’, and ‘transformative’. Their experiences of participating in Step Forward echoed a view point expressed on the previous panel of citizens entitled to emotional rights as much as the more traditionally conceived economic, social and political entitlements.
In Katherine Zappone’s Chairpersons’s address, she asked how we might go about treating people with disabilities with respect and unconditional acceptance. With heartfelt sentiment and making reference to the practice of mindfulness and its best known proponent John Kabat-Zinn, she proposed that through a deeper sense of our own dignity this would be achieved. Katherine asked that there be recognition of the expectations alongside the needs of people with disabilities, quoting US President Obama to underscore this point: ‘We see you, hear you, insist on your dignity and share your hope to forge a life equal to your talents and dreams’.
In the ‘Learning from the Scottish Experience of Local Government Reform’ panel, Liz McEntee, Head of External Relations at Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector (GCVS):
Community and Voluntary Sector, and Annie Gunner Logan, Director of Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland (CCPS), drew attention to a shift in thinking from representative to participatory democracy, how well-being is a driver of better decision-making, and a new emphasis on citizen and community engagement. Some of the challenges of making engagement work they argued included size and scope – how for example can a structure contain thousands of voices? They went on to speak about how in Scotland, there is a move beyond representation, with participation, co-production and co-designing of solutions to issues taking place, adding that being party to the solution is more important than access to decision making. Annie spoke with considerable passion about the need for creative, innovative and dynamic solutions to solve our social problems. These will only come into existence, she argued, when representatives tap into the dynamic energies and ideas of local people.
Further information
Visit DFI website