THE IRISH WHEELCHAIR Association says people with disabilities are €1,400 worse off after Budget 2026.

The IWA has urged the Government to introduce an emergency winter payment for people with disabilities following its analysis.

It also expressed “deep disappointment that Budget 2026 once again failed to deliver a permanent Cost of Disability Payment”.

The Government plans to introduce this permanent payment, which reflects the extra living costs incurred by people with disabilities, in 2027.

The IWA said that without targeted support this winter, “thousands of people with disabilities will face increased hardship, isolation, and impossible choices between heating and eating”.

Joan Carthy, national advocacy manager with the IWA, said the Government has “ignored the urgency of introducing a permanent payment” and that an “emergency, one-off winter payment would provide essential relief”.

“Budget 2026 should have been the turning point – instead, it has turned backwards,” said McCarthy.

The IWA provided analysis which it says shows that people with disabilities are €1,400 worse off compared to last year, as key once-off supports have been removed such as the Disability Support Grant and Living Alone Allowance.

McCarthy added that many IWA members are “being forced to choose between eating and heating”.