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On Tuesday, 6 October 2026, the Government will announce Budget 2027.

How to Make Your Voice Heard

You can help influence Budget 2027 by contacting your local TDs and asking them to support investment in people with intellectual disabilities.

Here’s how you can take action:

• Find your local TDs: Find out who represents your area and get their contact details, including their email addresses.

• Write to your TDs: We’ve created a template email that you can personalise. You can access it here. We also have a letter template here.

• Share your story: Tell your TD why these issues matter to you. Sharing your own experience can help decision-makers understand why Budget 2027 must invest in people with intellectual disabilities and their families.

We encourage you to contact your TDs as soon as possible, while decisions on Budget 2027 are still being made.

You can find our Easy to Read Campaign Guide here.

We have also created a guidance document for families and supporters to help support someone to contact their TD. You can read it here.

Need Help?

If you have any questions or need support to take part in the campaign, please contact us at info@inclusionireland.ie.

You can also read Inclusion Ireland’s Budget 2027 submission, Our Rights, Our Voices, here.

Inclusion Ireland has launched a new practical guide to help families, supporters and professionals better understand the important role they play in supporting people with intellectual disabilities to make their own decisions. 

The guide, The Role of Family and Supporters in Supporting Decision-Making, explains how the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 supports a person’s right to make their own decisions while recognising the valuable role that families and trusted supporters can have when it is the person’s wish to include them. 

Many families have questions about what the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act means in practice. Some worry that they can no longer be involved in important decisions, while others are unsure when formal decision-making arrangements may be needed. 

This new guide aims to provide clear, practical information to help answer those questions. 

The guide explains: 

• the key principles of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015; 

• the difference between informal and formal decision-making supports; 

• how families and trusted supporters can continue to play an important role when this reflects the person’s will and preferences; 

• when formal decision support arrangements may be appropriate; and 

• good practice for disability services and other agencies in involving families and supporters in decision-making. 

To bring these concepts to life, the guide includes a range of real-life case studies covering decisions about healthcare, housing, finances and everyday life, as well as practical tools, frequently asked questions and signposts to further sources of support. 

The guide reinforces a key message at the heart of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act: people with intellectual disabilities have the right to make their own decisions, with the supports they need, and with the people they choose to have involved in that process. 

Too often, misunderstandings about the Act have led to people feeling uncertain about how families and trusted supporters can be involved where it is the person’s wish to include them. We hope this guide gives people confidence to support decision-making in a way that respects rights, promotes autonomy and recognises the important relationships that matter to us. 

Derval McDonagh, CEO, Inclusion Ireland  

As the guide explains, supported decision-making is already a natural part of everyday life. Most people rely on trusted family members or friends to talk through important decisions. The Act recognises this and supports people to receive that assistance where it is their wish to involve people they trust. 

This resource will be valuable for: 

• people with intellectual disabilities; 

• family members and supporters; 

• disability service providers; 

• healthcare professionals; and 

• anyone supporting a person to exercise their right to make decisions about their own life. 

We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the development of this guide and shared their expertise to help ensure it is practical, accessible and grounded in the rights of people with intellectual disabilities. 

Download the guide: The Role of Family and Supporters in Supporting Decision-Making. 

Inclusion Ireland has today launched its Budget 2027 Submission, Our Rights, Our Voices: Building an Ireland Where Everyone Belongs, calling on Government to make meaningful investments that improve the lives of people with intellectual disabilities and their families. 

The submission is informed by the experiences of more than 1,500 people with intellectual disabilities, family members and supporters from across Ireland. Their message is clear: people continue to face significant barriers to living independently, accessing timely supports, participating in education and achieving an adequate standard of living. 

While Ireland has made important commitments through the Programme for Government, the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), many people are still waiting for these commitments to become a reality. 

Budget 2027 provides an opportunity to deliver real change. 

Our key asks for Budget 2027 

Inclusion Ireland is calling on Government to invest in four priority areas: 

• Deliver homes and independent living supports. 

• Tackle disability poverty and the cost of exclusion. 

• Invest in timely and accessible supports for children and families. 

• Advance inclusive education. 

Our submission includes practical, achievable recommendations that will help ensure people with intellectual disabilities can live independently, access the supports they need, participate fully in their communities and enjoy the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. 

Among our recommendations, we are calling for Government to: 

• Provide 300 funded planned support packages to help people move into homes of their own 

• Introduce a permanent Cost of Disability Support Payment 

• Support 200 people to move from congregated settings and 100 people from inappropriate nursing home placements 

• Invest in timely therapies and family supports 

• Fund the outstanding actions of the EPSEN Review and strengthen inclusive education. 

Every Budget is a chance to build a more inclusive Ireland 

People with intellectual disabilities have the right to live independently, receive timely supports, access inclusive education and participate equally in society. These are not new ambitions – they are commitments that Government has already made. 

Budget 2027 is an opportunity to turn those commitments into action. 

As Derval McDonagh, CEO of Inclusion Ireland, said: 

“One budget cycle alone will not remedy the deep-rooted inequities, but it is the Government’s strongest annual signal of its priorities and values. Every single cent invested this year should go towards upholding people’s rights and ensuring people with intellectual disabilities can live, learn and participate fully in their communities.” 

Read Inclusion Ireland’s Budget 2027 Submission, Our Rights, Our Voices and an Easy to Read version of the submission  here: https://www.inclusionireland.ie/media-publications/ 

This job advertisement is now closed

Inclusion Ireland have been successful in securing funding, under the HSE CREATE III initiative, for an 18-month project targeting the area of Accessible Information.

This 18-month project, with support from Corlann (formerly Brothers of Charity) and St. Michael’s House, aims to respond directly to people’s rights – by ensuring that vital information is not only available, but meaningfully accessible – empowering individuals to make informed decisions, advocate for their rights, be healthy, and engage fully in their communities.

The purpose of this 0.2 Senior SLT post, working with an assigned project lead is to : 

• Develop the SLT role within the CREATE III project  
• Contribute clinical expertise in the area of communication within the CREATE III project and, 
• As a member of the core project team, design and develop strategic and inclusive solutions to current gaps in Accessible Information Standards and Training by: establishing national standards, supporting delivery of targeted training, and creating a central resource hub – all co-designed with people with intellectual disabilities – to ensure relevance, usability and impact. 

The project goals are as follows:

1) Development of National Standards for Accessible Information with key stakeholders

Co-created with experts by lived experience, these standards will provide clear, practical guidance to ensure consistency, quality, and inclusivity across all sectors.

2) Training in creating accessible information

A comprehensive training programme will be designed and delivered in collaboration with experts by experience. It will equip organisations with the skills and confidence to create accessible materials that reflect real-world needs and uphold the rights of individuals with disabilities.

3) Creation of a National Resource Hub

A centralised, user-friendly online library of accessible information will be developed, offering high-quality materials in a range of formats. The hub will be co-designed with people with intellectual disabilities to ensure it is intuitive, inclusive, and adaptable. It will serve individuals, families, professionals, and organisations—reducing duplication, improving efficiency, and promoting equity.

Please see the Job Description here.

Send a C.V. and cover letter to info@inclusionireland.ie by the closing date: June 2nd at 5pm

Informal inquires to info@inclusionireland.ie

Inclusion Ireland is an equal opportunities employer.

Inclusion Ireland AsIAm welcome the publication of the Pre‑Legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Disability (Amendment) Bill 2025.

 Many of the recommendations that both organisations put forward were included in the publication; these include:

• A “Rights” Framework Without “Rights” (Recommendations 1 and 24): We welcome the Committee’s insistence that the Bill be “reflected expressly” with the UNCRPD and UNCRC.
• Validation of the “Severe wider pressures” (Recommendation 30): the Committee has called out the State’s “modest” response to a much broader crisis. Their recommendation for an immediate broader review of the 2005 Disability Act is aligned with the view of both organisations. Whilst the potential to make the Assessment of Need (AON) process more effective is welcomed broadly, only focusing on improving the process is a “sticking plaster” that ignores the system’s structural failures.
• Defending Diagnosis Against Misinformation (Recommendation 6): The Committee has rightly echoed AsIAm’s warning that a needs-based approach must not erase the right to a diagnosis. While this protects the clinical integrity of autism assessments, the Bill still falls short of ensuring these reports carry authoritative weight. While this keeps autism assessments accurate and professional, the Bill still fails to give the final reports official authority.
• Neutralising the Threat of “Checklist Gatekeeping” (Recommendation 13): Our recommendation that Ministerial guidelines be “non-binding” was reflected in the report.
• Ending the “Deemed Withdrawn” presentation (Recommendations 10-12): The Committee has backed Inclusion Ireland’s calls for primary legislation safeguards to prevent families from being quietly removed from waiting lists via “deemed withdrawn” notices due to circumstances within the child’s environment.
• The Education Gap (Recommendation 27): While the report calls for a “practical interface” with the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act, there is still no clear statutory pathway which brings clarity for children and families.
• Demanding Statutory “Co-Creation” (Recommendation 18): The Committee’s call for “co-creation” with Disabled Persons Organisations (DPOs) is a major step toward UNCRPD compliance.
• Role of the Assessment of Need Officer (Recommendation 4): The report calls for greater clarity on the qualifications of the AON officer and what supports will be immediately available to them in making decisions. It is important that those making decisions on applications have the appropriate training and understanding of disability.

What next? 

Both organisations are due to meet Minister Higgins in the coming weeks to discuss the findings of the report. We want clarity on the next steps as the legislation proceeds in terms of how these recommendations will be taken on board. It is critical that the final legislation strengthens, protects, and advances the rights of autistic people and people with intellectual disabilities.

To ensure the proposed reform centers on lived experiences and improves the lives of our communities, we are seeking clarity on how children and families will be meaningfully included in the next steps.

 18 March 2026

AsIAm and Inclusion Ireland are deeply concerned at the figures released by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) under the Freedom of Information Act which show 461 documented instances of restraint in Irish schools since September 2025. This is the first set of data released since the publication of the “Understanding Behaviours of Concern and Responding to Crisis Situation” guidelines by the Department of Education and Youth. It is disappointing that a Freedom of Information request was necessary to access this data, rather than being published through mandated quarterly reporting, which is significantly overdue. 

This data highlights the inherent failures within the published guidelines, of failing to provide the necessary safeguards and protections for Autistic and disabled children in our education system. These concerns have been highlighted by AsIAm and Inclusion Ireland, as well as key human rights bodies, since their publication in December 2024. As they currently operate, these guidelines are failing to meet their legal duties to be child-centred, robust and human rights compliant.  

It is of significant concern, that there has been a normalisation of the use of restraint on Autistic and disabled students in our education system. We know from international data that these students are more likely to experience the use and practice of restraint whilst in school. The data published by the NCSE also highlights several injuries which occurred as a direct result of the use of restraint. This shows that all staff should receive mandatory training, not just in the application of de-escalatory approaches and restraint in crisis situations but in meeting the needs of Autistic and disabled students. 

Concerns have also been raised by the lack of oversight and monitoring of these incidents as they arise. The fact the NCSE or another third party has no investigative powers on these incidents raises serious concerns.  This fails to provide the necessary safeguards and welfare protections.  

The data released by the NCSE gives credence to the fact that the current guidelines are failing Autistic and disabled students. Behind each of the figures published today, is a child, and if we are serious about creating an inclusive education system that meets the needs and legal obligations of the state, we must reflect on the weakness of the guidelines when compared with other similar settings including those in health and social care.   

Adam Harris, CEO of AsIAm “This data highlights the significant shortcomings of the current guidelines overseeing the policy framework on restraint in Irish schools. The current guidelines do not provide the necessary robust mechanisms to ensure the necessary safety and protections are in place for students and teachers. The publication of this dataset is an opportunity to pause and reflect on the current policy framework and adapt to a new policy framework that is rights compliant. Today’s data is concerning in terms of what it contains – documented failures in training and reporting mechanism timelines – and its failure to capture the likely scale of restraint across the education system, due to a lack of effective external governance and oversight of the application of the guidelines across Irish schools”. 

Derval McDonagh, CEO of Inclusion Ireland states “Right now, we have no way of knowing if the children who experienced restraint are any safer as a result of this reporting. We’ve repeatedly called for robust children’s rights focused guidelines and appropriate oversight. These guidelines do not reach the threshold needed to protect children’s rights adequately. We must demand better for children”. 

AsIAm and Inclusion Ireland are currently preparing a complaint to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities owing to the systemic human rights issues the guidelines raise. We will write to the Department seeking further information on the data provided to–date, including when the first tranche of quarterly data will be formally published, the supports offered to children who are represented in the current figures and when a formal review of the current guidelines will commence. 

17th February 2026 

Inclusion Ireland is calling on the Government to move from budget commitments to urgent delivery, warning that a lack of proactive planning has left housing and independent living support for people with an intellectual disability in ” emergency mode.” 

Despite significant investment in Budget 2026, people with intellectual disabilities and their families continue to face a “planning gap” that often results in expensive, for-profit emergency placements far from their communities when a crisis inevitably hits.  Better and earlier planning with people would have helped avoid these crisis situations.  

Independent living is a right under Article 19 of the UNCRPD, and that “choice” must be at the heart of the system – whether it is living independently, personalised budgets, supported living, or residential care that matches the person’s wishes. 

Data from Inclusion Ireland’s 1,000 Voices survey reveals a stark reality: while 53% of adults with intellectual disabilities identify “getting a home of my own” as a top concern, only 10% have both the wish and a concrete plan to move. Furthermore, 43% of families report they do not have the information necessary to plan for the future. 

Tomás Murphy, Co-Chair of the Board of Inclusion Ireland, said: 

“We know that many of our members at Inclusion Ireland do not have a proper plan for their future. This is leading to a lot of stress and concern. It should be more straightforward to apply for housing and the support to live in that house. Right now, people don’t have clear information and they are worried about their futures.” 

The urgency is underscored by the aging profile of families. Estimates indicate that approximately 1,500 adults with intellectual disabilities are living with parents over the age of 70, with 450 cared for by parents over 80.  

“The most humane, rights-compliant, and economical approach is to plan with people well in advance, all it would take is forward thinking. These individuals are already known to the system through schools and HSE services. They should not be invisible until a crisis occurs.” – Derval McDonagh, CEO, Inclusion Ireland 

While the Government has made commitments via the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025–2030, Inclusion Ireland highlights that progress is currently hindered by a lack of joined-up delivery between the Department of Housing, the HSE, and local authorities. 

Inclusion Ireland’s Priority Actions for Reform: 

• Establish a National Future Planning Pathway Standard: A “one-stop-shop” in every county to provide clear information and a named local coordinator for people and their families.   It should be straight forward for people to apply for housing and the support to live in that house. Right now, the system is fragmented and unclear.   

• Strengthen Data Collection: Implementing a common data standard to measure need and track outcomes and delivery. 

• Adopt a ‘Community-First’ Delivery Rule: Ensuring new investment expands community-based housing and supported living, broadening the choices available to people.  

The key point is choice. People with intellectual disabilities should get the type of home and support that is right for them. Services should be person-centred, support decision-making, and help people stay connected to their communities.  

15th January 2026

Inclusion Ireland welcomes the publication of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’ List of Issues for Ireland, which sets out the questions the Government must now answer as part of its next UN disability rights review. 

The List of Issues highlights long-standing gaps between Ireland’s commitments under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and the lived experience of people with intellectual disabilities. Many of the Committee’s questions closely reflect concerns raised by Disabled Persons’ Organisations, families and self-advocates, including those set out by Inclusion Ireland in our submission on independent living, safeguarding, and the cost of disability. 

The Committee places strong emphasis on the right to independent living and community inclusion. Despite repeated commitments under the Programme for Government and the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People, thousands of people with intellectual disabilities continue to live in congregated or institutional-type settings, or in family homes by default rather than choice. HIQA figures show that almost a quarter of disabled people living in designated residential centres remain in congregated settings, despite clear evidence that community–based supports deliver better outcomes. The Committee is now asking the Government to account for delays, lack of legal entitlements, and the absence of clear timelines for change. 

The Committee raises serious concerns about inclusive education. While the State has explicitly acknowledged through the EPSEN Review that the present framework is not fit for purpose and must align with Ireland’s obligations under the UNCRPD, it has yet to commit to enforceable statutory rights to assessment, planning and appeal, or to a time-bound, costed plan to deliver inclusive education. This risks the continued exclusion of children with intellectual disabilities and undermines the realisation of their rights under Article 24 of the Convention. 

Safeguarding failures are also a central concern. The Committee’s direct reference to the Grace case underlines the serious consequences when systems fail to protect disabled people, particularly people with intellectual disabilities who face heightened risk due to power imbalances, lack of independent advocacy, and institutional failures. This scrutiny is especially significant, considering the forthcoming Commission of Investigation into the Handling of Historical Child Sexual Abuse in Schools, reinforcing the urgent need for robust adult safeguarding legislation. 

The List of Issues also reflects deep concern about poverty and the cost of disability. Data from our 1,000 Voices Pre-Budget Submission shows that nearly 80% of households report private spending on therapies, transport or basic supports as having a significant impact on their household budget, while two-thirds of adults with an intellectual disability say current social welfare supports do not meet their needs. The Committee’s questions reinforce the need to move beyond consultation and deliver a permanent cost-of-disability payment that reflects disabled people’s disproportionate risk of poverty. 

Whilst we are pleased to see our issues highlighted by the United Nations,  Inclusion Ireland now calls on the Government to respond with clear actions, firm timelines, and transparent accountability mechanisms. Ireland’s UN review is a critical opportunity to ensure commitments on paper result in measurable change in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities.  

You can view an easy to read version of this statement here: List of Issues Easy to Read

Tender for Research Access to Justice and Participation for Nonspeaking People

We are excited to launch the tender for this important and ground breaking, independent research project focused on non-speaking people with intellectual disabilities.

For too long this non-speaking people  have been left out of the conversation. This research aims to highlight the systemic barriers they face across key areas like justice, health and education. We want to  identify clear actions needed to ensure equal and meaningful participation wherever decisions are made.

We are seeking an independent researcher to deliver this foundational work in 2026. Review the tender documents and submit your proposal today!

View the full tender document here.

Submissions should be sent to info@inclusionireland.ie by 18^th January 2026