Newly forming advocacy group to give disabled persons a voice at statutory level in Mayo

A Disabled Person’s Organisation (DPO) is currently being set up in county Mayo to ensure that disabled people have a voice when it comes to decisions made by statutory bodies such as local councils.

The main aim of a DPO is to ensure that Ireland’s 2018 ratification of the United Nation’s 2007 Convention on the Rights of Disabled People (UN CRPD) is implemented and there are currently DPOs already set up and active in Sligo, Cork, Dublin and other counties.

DPOs are under the national umbrella of Independent Living Movement Ireland (ILMI).

Under the UN CRPD every statutory body in the country, such as county councils, are legally obliged to involve disabled people in the decision-making processes affecting their lives.

A DPO is currently being set up in county Mayo with a constitution being drafted and an AGM being arranged.

Avril Greham, a disability advocate from Ballina, said the motto of the DPOs is ‘nothing about us, without us’ and local DPOs play a vital role in ensuring that statutory decision-making processes result in a fairer society.

“What is really important is that these processes are disability-persons led. The more these conversations are happening with the wider statutory bodies, the better it will be,” she said.

She said the Mayo DPO is currently looking for members to get involved and urged those interested to get in touch via email at mayodpo@gmail.com with further information on DPOs on the ILMI’s website, ilmi.ie.