Forward
There are almost 400,000 people with disabilities in Ireland today. According to the 2006 census 1 in 11 people have a disability in Cavan. They often find themselves excluded from what's going on because of the way we as a society organise ourselves. We in Cavan County Council want to change the way thins are done in order to make sure that people with disabilities can participate equally and fully in the life of our county. This is whay we are delighted to present Building an inclusive society in County Cavan, Cavan County Council's first Disability Strategy. It makes a significant milestone in our efforts to promote equality for people with disabilities in our county.
Cavan County Council has developed this Strategy in the context of a changing national and local environment. The Disability Act 2005, the National Disability Strategy and equality legistlation all require local authorities to make significany changes. The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government's Sectoral Plan and the multi-annual funding that accompanies it, supports our efforts and is very welcome.
Cavan County Council's Disability Strategy builds on all the work we have done since 2003. The commitment made in our Corporate Plan 2004-2009 to putting the people of this county first and our core values of quality customer service and social inclusion, are in harmony with our determination to deliver universal accessibility. Since a strategy has to be grounded in reality in order to achieve its objectives, we have identified critical factors which will determine how successful Cavan County Council is. There is a high level of commitment and motivation within our council but we know that there is still a long way to go. tsuilding an inclusive society in County Gavan will help us to stay on the right road, in partnership with local people with disabilities.
Thanks to the CRAIC Team for drafting this Strategy. We are confident that its implementation will bring about real and meaningful advances for people with disabilities in Cavan and will result in a better county for all of us.
