€75,000 for ‘Changing Places’ facilities in Tipperary - Lowry

Independent Tipperary Deputy Michael Lowry has welcomed the news from the Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Disability, Anne Rabbitte, T.D., that Tipperary County Council has been granted €75,000 the provision of Changing Places facilities under the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund (DPAF) 2021.

Changing Places facilities are designed to enhance the health, safety, comfort and dignity of someone who may need extra support and additional equipment during personal care tasks.

The purpose of the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund, which was established by Minister Rabbitte under Budget 2021, is to provide funding to support the participation of people with disabilities in local activities, to help remove barriers to community involvement and to support the promotion and implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in communities. In 2021, this funding is being provided through Local Authorities.

Projects will approved this year will promote the rights of people with disabilities, assist in removing barriers to participation in local and community life and raise awareness of the UNCRPD within communities and Local Authority staff and elected members

Further funding calls will issue in 2022, and the scheme parameters will be adjusted based on the learning arising from the initial call this year. Targeting community groups directly next year, the Minister hopes to build on the momentum established in 2021 and seeks to focus on further supports for community participation and integration.

The Disability Participation and Awareness Fund 2021 was announced on the October 18 this year. Applications were invited from Local Authority applicants up the value of €80,000 around key themes to support the participation and inclusion of disabled people in local communities including the Participation in community life i.e. sports, the arts, community groups, and so forth, Accessible information and shared public places, UNCRPD Promotion; and Disability Awareness and Capacity Building.

It was open to local authorities to partner with local and community organisations in delivering on projects. Projects were assessed against eligibility criteria and then scored on a number of areas, including the extent to which proposed projects aligned with the stated aims and goals of the Fund.