"We need supports now": disabled self-advocates count the true cost of disability
September 8 2026, 07:18am
An illustration, drawn from the experiences of disabled self-advocates at a DFI workshop, lays bare the everyday financial reality of living with a disability in Ireland, and why DFI is calling for a recurring Cost of Disability payment in Budget 2027.
The illustration captures the experience in the participants' own words, across three stages.
The first, "Extra Costs and Things I Can't Afford," sets out the additional costs disabled people carry every day, from medical bills, GP visits and blood tests, to higher household bills for electricity, heating and food, to the cost of assistive technology and simply getting from place to place. Many of these are costs that non-disabled people never have to think about.
The second, "Consequences," shows where those costs lead: being unable to save, going cold at home, missing out on a social life, and being unable to afford to take part in community life. The cumulative effect, the advocates found, is that disabled people are too often forced into financial dependency on others.
The third, "Caught in a Trap," illustrates the bind that many face when they try to work their way out. Because supports are withdrawn once earnings rise above a weekly threshold, taking on more work can mean risking the loss of the medical card, disability allowance and travel pass. The removal of one-off supports in Budget 2026 deepened the strain further.
"We need supports now"
We're calling on Government to respond in Budget 2027 by funding a recurring, universal, non-taxable Cost of Disability payment. A one-off measure cannot address a cost that is permanent. Only a recurring payment recognises the reality that it costs more to live a disabled life in Ireland.
This illustration was created by disabled people describing their own lives. It shows why a one-off payment will never be enough. The extra costs of disability don't arrive once a year. They are there every single day, and the response has to be there every day too. Budget 2027 is the opportunity to finally deliver that.
Budget 2027 will be announced on 6 October.