With Local Authority and European Parliament Elections around the corner, now is the time to raise local issues with candidates seeking your vote. MS Ireland are members of the Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI) and the Neurological Alliance of Ireland (NAI). We are supporting their campaigns to make disability and neurology top priorities for candidates in both the Local Authority and European Parliament Elections. We are asking you to get involved too!
Local Authority Elections
Accessibility
Are there accessibility issues in your area? Are there uneven pathways? Are there pedestrian lights that don’t give you adequate time to cross the road? Think about the accessibility issues you face locally. Ask your local authority candidates to commit to ensuring local public services and buildings are accessible for people who live with a disability.
Participation
Are you aware if people living with disabilities are involved with current decision-making structures locally? Can your local candidate tell you about Public Participation Networks? Ask your candidate to commit to ensure that people living with disabilities are encouraged to take part in local decision making.
Planning
Is your local candidate aware of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD)? Do they know what changes need to be made locally to comply with this convention? Ask your candidate to commit to ensuring that your local authority publishes its implementation plan for the UNCRPD by 2020.
Don’t forget to mention the MS Care Centre Business Case
In addition to having the power to influence local change, candidates for local authority often have the capacity to raise issues with TD’s and Senators. If a candidate asks for your vote, please make them aware of the MS Ireland Care Centre Business Case and ask them to raise the issue with Elected Local Representatives. The Care Centre Business Case can be downloaded here
European Elections
European Parliament hopefuls are being asked to pledge support in a number of key areas;
Accessibility & Equality
Ask European Parliament candidates to commit to making products, services and infrastructure accessible to people with disabilities and to stop discrimination.
Ask European Parliament candidates to commit to working at and EU level to ensure equitable access to treatments, services and supports for people with neurological conditions.
Investment
Ask European Parliament candidates to support the investment of European funds in persons with disabilities.
Support
Ask European Parliament candidates to support the aims and objectives of the Members of European Parliament (MEP) interest group on Brain, Mind and Pain.
Ask your European Parliament candidate to work at EU level to increase awareness of neurological conditions as a major public health and social care issue.
Ask candidates to commit to their support on Twitter using
#DisabilityVotesCount and #LoveYourBrain2019