JP McManus funding for County Boards should be used to make clubs more accessible – Minister Rabbitte Minister for Disability and Fianna Fáil TD for Galway East, Anne Rabbitte, is calling on GAA Clubs to consider using funding received from JP McManus in recent weeks to make club grounds more accessible for people with disabilities.
Earlier this month, the McManus’ Charitable Foundation announced it was donating €1 million to each county board around the country, to be evenly divided between GAA, camogie and ladies Gaelic football clubs.
Minister Rabbitte has now called on county boards to consider utilising some of the funding to install ‘Changing Places’ facilities in their county grounds.
“‘Changing Places’ offers large supported spaces that address the need of people for whom current accessible sanitary accommodation is inadequate.
“These facilities usually include the likes of height-adjustable changing benches, hoists, and adequate space for both users and caregivers,” Minister Rabbitte said.
“I think it would be simply wonderful for County Boards to use this most generous donation from JP McManus and his family to install Changing Places facilities in their county grounds. These Changing Places facilities represent a commitment to ensuring that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can fully participate in our vibrant community life.
“The GAA and Ladies Gaelic Football Association are such integrals parts of communities across the country and I believe this would be a great example of how these sports entities can deliver even more inclusivity and accessibility in our communities.
“It’s a very practical suggestion but an important one which I think sometimes can be overlooked. “As the Minister for Disability, I myself have delivered funding to install Changing Places in recent years. Indeed, I was in Tipperary in early December where the iconic Semple Stadium has just installed a Changing Places facility, which creates a whole new level of inclusivity at the home of hurling.
“The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD ) outlines how signatories, which Ireland is, needs to work towards enabling people with disabilities to participate on an equal basis with others in recreational, leisure and sporting activities. This is one way to achieve that. It needs to be a whole-of-community approach that’s taken both from the top down and from the ground up,” concluded Minister Rabbitte.
