Following its recent formation, the new disability rights and alliance Cothrom has begun rolling out an information campaign calling out what it describes as “systemic neglect, underfunding, and a lack of meaningful reform” in services for disabled people.
Cothrom, meaning “equality” or “fairness” in Irish, brings together activists, families, and disabled people determined to challenge both government policy and NGO complacency. The group says its work will be “upfront and uncompromising” in confronting failures wherever they occur.
The campaign coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, which falls today [Friday], and will place a spotlight on the lived experiences of disabled people who continue to be left behind despite repeated promises of reform.
As part of its outreach, Cothrom is also sending a poster and Transition Year workbook to secondary schools nationwide. The material invites students to explore themes of equality, inclusion, and disability rights in their own communities, encouraging discussion about fairness, independence, and respect.
Dr Margaret Kennedy, one of the alliance’s founders, said attitudes towards disabled people have changed little in decades. “Priority is always given to non-disabled people,” she said.
“When I ask for services, I always feel I’m being sent the message that it will take time, that it’s an inconvenience. That attitude hasn’t shifted.”
Jackie Hanley, mother to a 26-year-old autistic son, described how families are often left to fill the gaps in broken systems. “My fella never had an SNA because he was overlooked,” she said. “Carers, personal assistants, and everyone else are propping up this Government.”
Disability researcher Gladys O’Neill said the pattern of exclusion remains pervasive. “Access is an afterthought,” she said. “Decisions about disabled people are still made without us.”
Speaking on behalf of Cothrom, Michael O’Dowd said accountability and independence are now central to the group’s work.
“There are many good organisations doing important work,” he said, “but effectiveness and results have to be part of the conversation. We will challenge both government and NGOs where we see complacency or a failure to deliver for disabled people. It’s time to measure outcomes, not intentions.”
He said that some NGOs in the sector “have become too reliant on State funding and too detached from the people they claim to represent. Transparency and accountability are essential if the public is to have confidence in civic organisations.”
“Cothrom, the group at the centre of this latest comment, isn’t a quango or a consultancy. We don’t have corner offices, company cars, or paid staff. What we do have is a deep frustration, shared by many disabled people and their families who have watched report after report gather dust while lives remain on hold. We came together not to protect a system, but because the system failed.”
With Halloween approaching, the group says it is ready to confront uncomfortable truths within both the State and the disability sector.
“Yes, we have a broom,” O’Dowd added. “But it’s not for sorcery. It’s for cleaning up the mess left behind by years of neglect and broken promises.”