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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 11 Dec 2001

Vol. 546 No. 3

Written Answers. - Consultation Provisions.

John Gormley

Question:

296 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the provisions which have been made at public consultation meetings to provide sign language interpreters, cassette tapes and accessible reading material, such as maps, reports and studies, for deaf and visually impaired persons; and the provision which has been made to ensure that consultation venues are wheelchair accessible. [31795/01]

Effective communications with customers, whether in a general information context or in relation to individual applications or consultative meetings is an essential feature of an effective social welfare system. In this connection my Department engages in numerous consultation meetings with the public at local, regional and national level.

In the case of people with disabilities, consultation usually takes place through my Department's Disability Consultative Forum, which comprises of organisations representing people with disabilities, and customer panels, which comprise of people in receipt of relevant disability related payments. In all cases venues used for these meetings are wheelchair accessible and the required mediums are used where persons with visual impairment or deafness are in attendance.

Staff training is also an important element of the Department's response to the needs of people with special needs. In this regard awareness seminars on deafness have been held and attended by front line staff members who deal with customers on a one-to-one basis. In addition members of my Department's staff have been trained in sign language and are available to provide this service at public consultation meetings where required.

Other initiatives sponsored by my Department include disability awareness seminars for staff working in relevant areas. Specialised training of this nature augments a comprehensive customer training programme for all staff. This programme covers all aspects of customer service including issues such as disability awareness, and equality issues. So far, more than 2,500 staff members have completed this training programme.

Every effort is made by my Department to ensure that the needs of persons with visual impairment, deafness or wheelchair users are fully met.

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