In her speech at The Wheel’s Summit in Croke Park, Dublin, on May 28, Elaine Teague, CEO of the Disability Federation of Ireland, focused on four words beginning with the letter ‘c’.
“Let us communicate in a language people can understand,” she began. “Language that my parents, family and the media can understand.”
She urged organisations to speak about rights, dignity and inclusion as these things everyone understands.
“Let’s celebrate our successes,” she said. “We need to tell our stories, to talk about improving lives, to talk about the impact we have in communities.
“Let us co-create – this is when we come to the table as different but equal partners. Nobody at that table holds the position of power.
“We want commitment to sustainable funding for our critical work. We cannot continue where the funding does not meet the full cost of service delivery. It can be done. RTÉ hit the jackpot, they got multi-annual sustainable funding. RTÉ took a gamble, there was shock and outrage, political commentary and embarrassment. We’d like to skip all those parts and get to the part where there’s a commitment,” she said to chuckles all around.
She rounded off by reminding everyone present, including Minister of State Jerry Buttimer, “The C&V sector is massive. In 2024, over €10billion was spent in our sector. The road ahead is scary, but it is ours to walk, and to walk together.”
The Wheel’s summit was held on May 28 in Croke Park, Dublin.
