Community Participation Bill

A Bill to promote better provision in respect of the use by persons with disabilities of certain buildings and other places and transport services is in its third stage of the Seanad, having been sponsored by a number of Senators, including John Dolan.

In-line with Ireland’s ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) the objectives of the Bill are:

1. To require relevant publicly accessible buildings to provide a ‘changing places’ facility (referred to in the Bill as ‘accessible change facility’),
2. To require local authorities and others to build ‘inclusive’ playgrounds applying the principles of universal design,
3.  To require private bus operators licenced by the state to meet the accessibility standards of public buses,
4. To ensure that personal advocates supporting people with disabilities to access social services have statutory powers.