Sligo County Council recognises the importance of delivering on the Disability Act 2005, regarding persons with disabilities. The Authorities are also committed to meeting the needs of persons with disabilities, as described in the Barcelona Declaration. The Declaration supports the rights of disabled persons to participate as equal citizens. It is a priority of Sligo County Council to continuously improve disability access within all areas of their remit.
In 2007, a Disability Implementation Plan was published for the period 2008 to 2015. This conforms to Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government (DOELG) policy documents, and guidelines of the Local Government Management Services Board. The plan was based on audits on accessibility for disabled persons. Priority has been given to local authority buildings and other facilities to which access is most frequently required, as well as accessible public footpaths, streets and crossings in urban areas. Organisations representing persons with disabilities were consulted in the preparation of the Plan, and cost estimates were also carried out.
Regarding disability access, significant improvement work has been undertaken to date. It is intended that this will continue to 2015 and beyond, subject to sufficient National Disability Strategy funding from the DOEHLG. This will greatly enhance disability access for all areas within our remit. It is proposed to carry out a review of the current plan, for the years 2011-2015. This will identify any new items of work to be carried out, and will re-prioritise all work items.
The Access Team (Access Officer, Inquiry Officer, Disability Liaison Officer, SEO and Director of Services) also have other direct and indirect roles regarding ongoing delivery of the 2005 Disability Act. They include the following:
Sligo County Council has delivered disability awareness training to its staff, including Disability equality training, universal access auditing, and complaints handling procedures. It is anticipated that this training will be continued through to 2014 and beyond, subject to sufficient funding.