PEOPLE LIVING WITH a disability face greater financial burdens as they spend more than half of their disposable income on their disability, according to a recent report.  

Households with a disabled member face “significant” financial burdens related to disability and have a “very high” risk of poverty rates.

This is according to the report by Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) and the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).

Disabled people face a “double economic penalty” due to a lower average disposable income and higher costs of consumption due to their needs. 

The report also estimates that households with a disabled member would cost, on average, up to 59% of the disposable income to achieve the same standard of living as a similar household with no disabled members. 

The average weekly household disposable income for disabled households in this report is €944, meaning disability costs between €488-€555 per week, on average.

For households with a member who has severe limitations, the cost of disability can be as high as 93% of their disposable income, or €875 weekly. 

The risk of poverty rate is also substantially higher for disabled people, sitting at 24%, compared to 10% for non-disabled people, when measured in the usual way. However, the rate increased to between 65%-76% when taking into account the average estimated cost of disability deducted from the disposable income of people living in households affected by disability.

Chief Commissioner of the IHREC, Liam Herrick, stated: “It is unacceptable that disabled people live at a much higher risk of poverty in Ireland.”

“This research provides clear evidence of the significant and unacceptable financial burdens carried by disabled people, and their households, and I encourage the State to work with disabled people to ensure the cost of disability is effectively offset.”

Last month, TheJournal.ie reported on readers experiences of children with additional needs. Parents most often expressed heartbreak, frustration, regret and anxiety as they told similar stories.

Many families told us most – and in some cases all – of the therapies and assessments they have obtained for their children have been private, given long waiting lists for public services through the HSE.

One parent wrote that: “It feels as if these HSE services no longer exist; that they’re now the stuff of fantasy and fairytale and worried parents are following a yellow brick road to nowhere.”

Many parents indicated that they are putting themselves under enormous financial strain to pay for private speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and psychology services.

Parents told us of paying out-of-pocket for speech and language therapy sessions costs €80-100 each week or fortnight, or occupational therapy at €100-150 per session. Parents said the cost of these therapies adds up to thousands of euro over time.

A spokesperson from the department of disability said: “Government recognises that costs vary due to a number of factors including the age of the individual, as well as the nature and severity of the disability.”

“In line with commitments in the Programme for Government, this is an important consideration as DCEDIY leads work across government on the next National Disability Strategy which will set out and advance a whole-of-government programme of work to tackle a range of issues, including cost of disability, and to advance the rights of persons with disabilities.”

The spokesperson added that in 2021 Department of Social Protection published a report on the Cost of Disability in Ireland.

Theano Kakoulidou, of the ESRI and Co-author of the report, said: “One way to address the higher rates of income poverty among disabled people is by removing barriers to work that they and their family members face.”

“Income poverty could also be reduced by directly increasing targeted welfare payments or introducing a ‘cost of disability’ payment.”