DISABILITY RIGHTS ADVOCATE Cara Darmody and her father Mark began a 50-hour sleep-out protest outside Dáil Éireann today at 11am amid a Status Orange weather warning as Storm Bram continues to tear across the country.

This will be the second 50-hour sleep-out protest the 14-year-old from Tipperary has staged as part of her ongoing campaign seeking that the government take action to reduce wait times for assessments of needs.

Currently, 18,000 children are on a waiting list for the formal procedure, set out under the Disability Act 2005, that identifies a child’s health and educational needs. By law, children must be seen to within six months.

Joined by opposition leaders at a press conference in Buswells Hotel, Darmody called on the government to activate an emergency plan for the recruitment of therapists to carry out assessments of children.

“Despite all of the promises made to me that things would improve, the assessments of needs waiting list has escalated from 15,000 to well over 18,000. It’s a national disgrace that I just simply cannot ignore,” she said.

Representatives of the combined opposition Independent TD Michael Collins and Sinn Fein's Pearce Doherty, at a press conference in Buswells Hotel with Cara Darmody today as she begins a 50-hour sleep-out protest.

‘Hell on Earth’

Darmody said that due to the weather conditions this protest will be “hell on Earth”, while her father said he is “very unhappy” about his daughter being outside in these conditions.

The storm has caused Status Orange wind warnings to be in place nationwide, flights and ferries have been cancelled, 22,000 homes are without power, and authorities are urging people to avoid coastal areas as conditions continue to deteriorate

Darmody said: “I’ll have to battle the hardship weather of December and Storm Bram, but my pain and suffering is merely a symbol of daily pain and suffering incurred by thousands of families across Ireland whose children with disabilities are suffering permanent damage by not getting proper access to therapies and services.”

Labour leader Ivana Bacik, Social Democrat’s Liam Quaide, Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty, Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins, Aontu leader Peadar Tóibín and Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman all pledged their support to the teen.

Doherty commended the teen for her actions. “You’ve united the opposition, you’ve united people right across the state because people in their hearts that what’s happening here is absolutely wrong”.

Darmody said she was shocked when she heard Taoiseach Micheál Martin say in May that the HSE is “not in a position to fulfil the law right now” when it comes to meeting the statutory six-month timeline for providing assessments of needs for children with disabilities. 

“Different TD’s promised me over the last three years that change will come and that autistic children will get the therapies and assessments that they require in a timely manner. Those promises were broken,” Darmody said.

“The Government is systematically breaking the law on this issue”.

She commended the government for its decision to pledge €20m to a carers fund to help people waiting longest for assessment, and retaining the legal right to an assessment within six months, but urged it to activate an emergency plan for the recruitment of therapists.

She said a national recruitment campaign did occur, but it was as secretive a the “Third Secret of Fatima”. She said many providers, therapists and TDs were unaware of its existence.