Ehlers-Danlos is a complex genetic condition resulting in faulty collagen. Because of this fault, patients' joints can dislocate on a daily basis, leaving us in agony. And that is only the beginning of the catalogue of symptoms that inflict us; some, life threatening. Early diagnosis and intervention is fundamental for long term prognosis and care, but unfortunately Ireland does not have one, qualified, appointed specialist in the whole country in the public health domain. This has lead to people with EDS/ HSD becoming so de-conditioned, with years of no medical intervention, that they cannot work, function and sometimes cannot walk. Without even initial diagnosis patients have no access to services or care. About me: My name is Kitty. I'm nearing 40 and a wheelchair user. I was only officially diagnosed in my late 20's, after a life in pain. I saw numerous specialists in various areas, spent my 20's on waiting lists. Some doctors and physiotherapists said they believed I had EDS, yet said they were not qualified to diagnose the condition. I relied heavily on learning about my condition from the community of other patients with EDS/ HSD, and realised my story isn't unique at all. We are not "rare' - we are rarely diagnosed. Once diagnosed it's nearly impossible to find a qualified physiotherapist, like with everything it is an Eircode lottery. We get no where on the treatment abroad scheme (especially in cases to see consultants) and as the main UK Hypermobility clinics are private this is automatically excludes us from the scheme. The HSE pretend we do not exist, quoting ridiculous numbers when asked how many of us there are in the country! My story isn't special, or unique -it's a very similar story for most patients in Ireland with these conditions. This cannot continue. People are literally being left to rot. Parents are forced to fund their children's healthcare instead of their own, because they often cannot afford to do both (as these are genetic conditions). We cannot let another generation of EDS and HSD patients go undiagnosed and untreated. Please support our campaign - Sign up the petition and share on social media. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.  ♡ www.eds4ire.ie ♡ https://www.facebook.com/eds4ire ♡ https://www.instagram.com/eds4ire ♡ https://www.youtube.com/kittycolberteds4ire

The Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) is an international human rights treaty designed to prevent torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in all places of detention. It introduces a combined system of national (NPM) and international (SPT) monitoring of all places of detention. Ireland signed the OPCAT in October 2007, but has yet to ratify it. The OPCAT recognises the central importance of inspection as a way of preventing human rights violations. These inspections create transparency and accountability, which in turn act as a deterrent against future cruel treatment. Places of detention are not limited to prisons. The OPCAT applies to anywhere where people are deprived of their liberty. The ratification of OPCAT would positively impact the lives of many people in vulnerable positions. Examples of places of detention could include, but are not limited to: • Psychiatric units • Children detention schools • Nursing homes • Social care units • Special Care Units • Immigration detention centres • Direct provision • Pre-trial detention facilities • Garda stations OPCAT applies to anywhere people are deprived of their liberty. Pushing for the ratification of OPCAT might one day benefit a friend, neighbour, family member, or maybe even yourself. For Ireland to meet its international obligations, we must put in place sufficient and effective safeguards to ensure that vulnerable individuals are not victimised. The Convention recognizes that it is in closed spaces where the most serious violations of human rights can take place. Ireland has a troubling history of failing to protect those we have placed in closed spaces. The historical abuse of those in child institutions and other historical places of detention has shown the need for ongoing inspection. By failing to ratify OPCAT, Ireland perpetuates a situation that increases the vulnerability of all persons currently in detention. It is essential that Ireland moves towards the creation of an NPM which can ensure that no place of detention – prison, Garda station, hospital or care home – is beyond the reach of comprehensive and rigorous inspection. _________ To learn more about OPCAT: http://www.apt.ch/en/what-is-the-opcat/ To learn more about NPMs: http://www.apt.ch/en/national-preventive-mechanisms-npms/ To learn more about the SPT: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/OPCAT/Pages/OPCATIntro.aspx To see which countries have ratified OPCAT: http://www.apt.ch/en/opcat-database/

Ireland signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in 2007. Ireland has yet to ratify the Convention 10 years later and is shamefully the only EU state not to have done so. Fianna Fail, the PD's,The Green Party, Fine Gael, The Labour Party and Independents including Finian McGrath Minister of State with Responsibilities for Disability have shared power during this period. While the convention contains no new rights,what it does is bring together in one document, all existing rights in other conventions and international human rights and treaties, that give equal status to persons with disabilities. If the UNCRPD were ratified what would this mean? For example cuts to services that would prohibit a person with a disability playing an equal role as a citizen of the Republic of Ireland and in their community would be in breech of an international convention. Many cuts to Disability Services occurred during the economic downturn from 2007. There are around 600,000 people with disabilities currently living in the Republic of Ireland. They deserve equal status . Please sign our petition and share with your friends. Disability Rights for Ireland Right Now. South Tipperary Disability Groups Forum

Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Indicate how it proposes to implement all the recommendations of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse and indicate the time frame for doing so; (b) Institute prompt, independent and thorough investigations into all cases of abuse as found by the report and, if appropriate, prosecute and punish perpetrators; (c) Ensure that all victims of abuse obtain redress and have an enforceable right to compensation, including the means for as full rehabilitation as possible. Call to action : please show your support by commenting via change.org also uplift.ie and sharing this cause via social media Thank you to you and your supporters X p.s. no abusive language

T.A.R.G.E.T is a vital community service that provides literacy skills, counselling, community employment, extensive training and affordable childcare to the local community in Donaghmede. But, we have just been told that they need to be out of their premises by June - leaving the future of the project - and all the people it supports - hanging in the balance. Can you sign the petition to ask Dublin City Council to make sure a suitable home for our project is found before the June deadline.

Iarnróid Éireann's plan to replace on-site staff members with machines at a number of DART stations is going to have a huge effect on people with any kind of accessibility issue, health- or age-related travel requirement. Public transport should be for public use on the basis of equality - not a cost-saving, discriminatory service based on efficiency.

We are not racist, dont let Trump make us look like we are.

Donald Trump has started his presidency threatening to forcibly remove all Palestinians from Gaza and turn it into a holiday resort, he has doubled down in his support for war criminal Netanyahu, and has resumed sending heavy bombs to Israel for them to use against people in Gaza.  He is also causing chaos back in the US:  • He has launched a massive attack on trans rights putting thousands of people in serious danger of their lives. • He has attacked hundreds of thousands of workers, slashing jobs and allowing billionaire Elon Musk to fire entire departments. • He has ordered that people who live and work in the US without specific documentation are to be rounded up and detained in the infamous Guantánamo Bay prison. • He is dismantling regulations on corporations that keep people's food and water safe. • He is ramping up polluting fossil fuel extraction, undoing decades of slow progress. • He is removing all information about trans people, climate change, and public health from government websites. It is unthinkable that any Irish politician would go to the White House this St. Patrick's day to shake Trump's hand and we are calling on you Micheál Martin to boycott the White House this March.

People who are blind or visually impaired use tactile paving running the width of the footpath from kerb to building/shore line to locate pedestrian crossings. Although traffic light have audio locator beacons, on a noisy street like O'Connell Street, they can be difficult & sometimes impossible to hear.

Irish Sign Language is an everyday language used by approximately six thousand citizens of the Republic of Ireland, mostly Deaf and hard of hearing. Unlike English, Irish Sign Language is a language which is indigenous to the island of Ireland, a language that has been evolved over the centuries. For several decades, Irish Sign Language has never been respected as a language. It has been reported that the users of the language have very little access to information in that language. They often have no choice but to use either of the current official languages, namely Irish and English, languages that are not in their mother tongue. Not to mention, the Articles 9, 21 and 30 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, of which Ireland has been among the signatories since 1992, explicitly recognises the importance of a sign language with regard to the accessibility, freedom of expression, the participation in the cultural life of a Deaf or Hard of Hearing person. Thus, recognising Irish Sign Language as a third official language of the State would render the society far more equal than it is now. Ireland is our home and there's no place like home! Extend our arms to our fellow citizens using Irish Sign Language in their homes.

Ireland's 1993 Commission on the Rights of People with Disabilities made a statement that sadly still rings true today: "People with disabilities are the neglected citizens of Ireland... [but] they want, and are entitled to, equality and full participation as citizens." In 2016 we’re still waiting to see full equality on our public transport systems. This is especially true of DART services, which are riddled with accessibility problems. But it's time for us to say enough is enough. The Disability Federation of Ireland estimates that there are over 160,000 people with a disability in the Dublin area. On top of having to cope with various medical conditions, that's 160,000 potential DART-users relying on - lifts that are often out of order - platform ramps onto the train that don't work or don't exist - live travel information that is inaccurate or inaccessible - trained station assistants who aren't available in all stations Each of these factors makes even the most basic journeys a headache to organise, and sometimes impossible! But all of these issues could be easily fixed if the government made them a priority. Let's raise our voice for disability rights now. Call on the government to fix these issues and make DART services fully accessible for people with a disability. Disability Rights Now is a People Before Profit campaign chaired by Richard Boyd Barrett and based on the feedback of local disability rights activists in the Dun Laoghaire area.

Johns Lane West and Brú Aimsir hostels give shelter to almost 150 people who are former rough sleepers in Dublin. They are both set to close in the coming weeks. This will result in the loss of 150 beds for those sleeping rough. Focus Ireland and Peter McVerry Trust who currently run the hostels have not revealed how they plan to accommodate these people who will be forced back onto the streets with the closure of these hostels. The residents have been told they must ring the freephone in Parkgate St to find alternative accommodation. With an already critical shortage of beds, this will only put added strain on a flawed system which puts people in direct competition with each other, having to spend all day trying to get through to the freephone phoneline, often to simply be told there are no beds available. The Irish Housing Network demands: Dublin City Council, Peter McVerry Trust and Focus Ireland put a transparent plan in place with the residents of the hostels in providing suitable accommodation for those affected by the hostels’ closure. Long term social housing stock is immediately turned over for homeless people and families through the building of housing and opening and refurbishment of empty homes. Tenant’s rights for those in emergency accommodation so they cannot be evicted without notice and are protected under tenancy legislation. Rights for Travellers and Roma people in the ability to practice their culture and have well maintained and provisioned sites available throughout the country, including the restoration of traditional roadside stopping places.