Funding offered for projects across all 31 Local Authorities to promote community participation and integration for people with disabilities, and raise awareness around UNCRPD

Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Disability, Anne Rabbitte, T.D., today announced that 39 projects across all 31 Local Authorities will be offered a total of €2.5 million under the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund (DPAF) 2021.

The purpose of the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund, which was established by Minister Rabbitte under Budget 2021, is to provide funding to support the participation of people with disabilities in local activities, to help remove barriers to community involvement and to support the promotion and implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in communities.

In 2021, this funding is being provided through Local Authorities.

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Projects approved this year will:

• promote the rights of people with disabilities
• assist in removing barriers to participation in local and community life
• raise awareness of the UNCRPD within communities and local authority staff and elected members

Further funding calls will issue in 2022, and the scheme parameters will be adjusted based on the learning arising from the initial call this year. Targeting community groups directly next year, the Minister hopes to build on the momentum established in 2021 and seeks to focus on further supports for community participation and integration.

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Announcing the projects receiving funding, Minister Rabbitte said:

I am pleased to be able to launch the first year of the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund, and look forward to future calls as we move forward. I know that there was huge interest in this Fund and that speaks to the need for practical and effective measures to support the integration of persons with disabilities into our daily community life.

Working in partnership with Local Authorities and community organisations supported by this Fund, we will be able to make progress on breaking down barriers to participating in local activities and making local amenities more accessible. Much will be done through the projects that are receiving funding today, and there is much more than we can continue to achieve through this Fund over the coming years.

The provision of this funding speaks to this government’s commitment and willingness to make our local places and spaces accessible to all. Reflecting on the applications received, Local Authorities made a significant number of applications for capacity building and awareness raising within their organisations and it is my intention to engage with Local Authorities over the coming year to address these needs in a structured format.

and she concluded:

We will use the learning from this year’s fund to help us target measures that will make practical changes to participation and integration with the everyday life of our communities.