DFI Pre-Budget Submission 2011 Launch

The Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI) is a national support organisation and advocate for voluntary disability organisations who provide services to people with disabilities and disabling conditions. There are more than 120 organisations within the membership, representing those with intellectual, mental health, physical, sensory, neurological, emotional and hidden disabilities.

In the Renewed Programme for Government [1] the commitment was made to ‘prioritise the interests of people with disabilities and actively advance the implementation of the National Disability Strategy’ (NDS). The challenge now is to role out that commitment in an environment where public resources are very limited.

Budget 2010 introduced a number of funding cuts that have put disabled people at greater risk of poverty, have threatened their access to services and undermined the implementation of the NDS.