REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE ON HER VISIT TO THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE BLIND RESOURCE CENTRE
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE ON HER VISIT TO THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE BLIND RESOURCE CENTRE IN GALWAY
Tá lúcháir mhór orm bheith anseo libh inniu, agus ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a chur in iúl daoibh as fáilte a raibh fíor, fairsing agus flaithiúil.
My thanks to Deirdre Lowey and the Galway branch of the National Council for the Blind for the kind invitation which allows me to experience at first hand the wide range of services provided here and to meet the members and staff.
A world organised for those with sight is a difficult place for those with no sight or partial sight. How often have those coping with disability had to remind us of their existence, their needs, their rights and their entitlement to be fully integrated into every aspect of everyday life.
I remember many years ago when a public body was replacing a very expensive carpet which had been ruined by fire and water damage. A committee chose the new carpet but while it was very beautiful the colour was very light and within a matter of weeks it was showing wine stains and the effects of mucky feet carrying the dust from outside. There were a lot of complaints but it was the cleaning staff who pointed out that if someone had had the wit to ensure their views were heard on the committee, they could have had a carpet that was both beautiful and practical.
We owe it to our brothers, sisters and friends who are living with disabilities to shape our world, the decisions we take, the plans we make, in a way that takes account spontaneously of the particular needs of people with disabilities. Our goal should be a culture of enablement so that all their talents can flourish.
We have made much progress in achieving a society in which the dignity and rights of all, able–bodied and disabled alike, are valued and respected, but we still have some distance to travel. Generations of blind and visually impaired men and women have gone to their graves, isolated, marginalised, under-educated and under-achieving because of the constraints they faced in a world where ironically the sighted could not see them. Failure to enable people who are blind and visually impaired to make the most of their talents, to participate as equals in our society, to have the encouragement, facilities and education to do so – is not only a personal tragedy for them, it also immeasurably impoverishes society as a whole. A world in which the full giftedness of each human being is helped to blossom is our goal and it is to that work that organisations such as the National Council for the Blind commit themselves.
Since its foundation in 1931, the Council has worked tirelessly in the provision of services to the blind and visually impaired nationwide. Its mission statement “to optimise the intellectual, social and economic independence of visually impaired people and to minimise the disabling effects of visual impairments” reflects the vital role which the voluntary sector has played in affirming the right each of us has to an environment which nurtures us and takes our individual needs seriously.
Life in this modern world calls for the individual to have a complex range of skills as well as a level of self-assuredness and self-confidence. Here in this centre those skills can be developed close to home in a supportive and pleasant environment with the very best of equipment, resources and professional assistance. I was delighted to see the provision of training in independent living skills and in the use of specially adapted computers and software packages. It is wonderful to know that technology is being harnessed in this way, for it has the potential to truly transform the lives of people who are blind and visually impaired.
I warmly commend all the organisations and individuals who contributed their time, energy and funds to get this project off the ground: Galway Lions Club, Galway City Partnership, The Western Health Board and the local business community. A special tribute should be paid to John Richards from Galway Bay FM, who ran in the Dublin City Marathon in order to raise funds and to John Mannion who provided a premises rent free for a year which gave you time to fundraise towards the provision of equipment for the centre. Without the support of so many people who care and show it in a practical way, this centre would not be reality.
I know that you have plans to develop and improve your outreach services so that people who are unable to attend the centre can have the opportunity to avail of the services in their own environments and I am sure that that service like the services here in the centre will change lives, give them a new level of hope and faith in the future and in themselves.
Special thanks to the Western Health Board who have been a major participant and financial contributor to the development of the organisation. It is very reassuring to see the energy that comes from such a worthwhile partnership of the statutory and voluntary sector. Already your shared achievements are outstanding and point the way to a very successful future. As we say in Irish ‘Ní neart go cur le chéile – our strength is in our unity’. You show that in action.
Is iontach an obair atá ag siúl agaibh and guím rath Dé air sa todhchaí. Go raibh maith agaibh.