I’m currently reading a new publication from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) on A Social Portrait of Disabilities in Ireland. The authors Dorothy Watson and Brian Nolan are the leading experts in examining the statistics on poverty in Ireland and both of them have examined disability statistics for many years. Their publication is based on examination of Census figures and the National Disability Survey. I might be back to comment on the publication as I read it but thought some others might be interested in reading it.

A quote from the summary of the chapter on Education Work, Living Standards

People with a disability in the 25 to 64 age group are less than half as likely as those without a disability to be at work. Finally, we saw evidence that people with a chronic illness or health problem or whose activity is limited by illness or injury have a higher risk of consistent poverty than those without an illness and not limited in their activities. We note that existing poverty measures do not take account of the additional costs associated with the disability itself (estimated to be in the region of one third of average household income). If we did take account of these additional costs, the poverty rate of people with a disability would be even higher than the current statistics suggest.

Thus current Social welfare rates for people with disabilities actually disadvantage them and they are at further risk of poverty. Those people with disabilities lucky to be in work are worse off than their able bodied peers and receive no supports to take account of the cost of disability and are at risk of poverty. But the way that the state assesses poverty does not take disability into account. There we go in print, a government agency is stating it, not someone in the poverty sector. More anon.