Young people with disabilities are protesting outside Leinster House this afternoon demanding the restoration of a training allowance.
The €31.80 per week allowance has been withdrawn by the Department of Health.
The payment is primarily used to pay for food, travel and extra costs for students attending courses.
Cillian McCarthy is deeply frustrated by the cuts to the Rehabilitative Training Allowance #allowuslearn disabilities @NLNIreland pic.twitter.com/jUbGmUwLkb
— IWA (@IrishWheelchair) September 17, 2019
Sean Rohan is from the Waterford Disability Network.
"New students are not going to be able to get it.
"It's going to bring more inequality, you could be sitting in a class with someone else and because they started last year they're getting €31.80 a week and the new student isn't.
"According to rehab research, 80% of their students wouldn't have been able to avail of their course had they not been in receipt of this.
"There are so many expenses that somebody who is disabled has where somebody who is not disabled doesn't have."
Protest outside Leinster House kicks off. Young people with disabilities are making sure their voices are being heard #allowuslearn #Disability pic.twitter.com/FNkFgbNlhs
— IWA (@IrishWheelchair) September 17, 2019
The cut will save 3.7 million euro over four years but will be re-invested in other disability services.
It is estimated it will affect about 400 people a year.
Sean Rohan says it will have an impact beyond education.
"When you look at the billions being lost in the budgeting, or lack of budgeting, for the children's hospital in Dublin, 3.7 million euro is a drop in the ocean.
"Yet there will be 1,600 students affected and it's not just losing out on education, for many of the students involved this is their only outlet.
"It's either stay at home or go to these courses so it's gaining confidence, interpersonal skills as well as the actual skill of whatever they're being trained in."
He believes rural people and young people with disabilities will be hit hardest.
"If you're living on the Dunmore Road or in Waterford City you have the bus to WIT.
"If you're living the same amount of miles away but out towards Kilmeaden there's no way of getting in. There is a bus but it's not wheelchair accessible.
"If you're out in Kilmeaden, then you have got to have a car to get in.
"It's also against young people because we're talking about people who are school leavers, practically nobody over 24 is affected by this. It's almost all 16 to 23-year-olds.
"You're talking about young disabled people being affected for a pittance of a saving."
