Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 2 Nov 1988

Vol. 121 No. 4

Irish Paralympic Team at Seoul Olympics: Motion.

Mr. Bradford

I move:

That Seanad Éireann extends its congratulations to the Irish Paralympic team on its outstanding performance in the recent Seoul Olympics.

We were more than uplifted by the tremendous performance of our Paralympic team in the special Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, in the month of October. Out of a team of 60 athletes, the Irish team brought back 45 medals, namely 13 gold medals, 13 silver medals and 19 bronze medals, making them the 18th best team to compete in the games. This fact, allied to the four world records which were broken by members of the Irish squad, certainly set us apart as a very exceptional nation at the games.

The competitors, their families and their coaches can feel very proud indeed of the performance they put up on behalf of the Irish nation. All of us praise the dedication shown by athletes who have to undergo difficulties such as the athletes in the special Olympic teams have had to undergo but when a performance like this is seen, it certainly indicated that all the hard work, all the dedication and all the training was well worthwhile. The example shown by the special Olympics team shows that while they may in some sense be suffering from minor disabilities of one form or another, they are more than adequate when it comes to dedication and when it comes to the human spirit. Their performance indicates that the lesson for all of us who would claim to be the able-bodied is that if we could put the same effort and dedication into our lives as those athletes put into their lives and training, then all of us and this nation would be far the better for it.

If there is one note of disappointment I have to sound it is that the coverage of the Paralympic games by our national television station was far from adequate. We are all joining in the praises now when we see the results but I think it would have been very beneficial, not just for the athletes, their families and their friends, but for everybody in this country to see some of the events that took place and to see what the athletes could do and could win. It would have helped to remove another layer of the doubt and misgivings we sometimes have about disabled athletes and their abilities. The point was made by one sports commentator at the events that the standard reached such great heights in one or two of the competitions there that it will not be long until some of the disabled athletes will be able to take on and beat able-bodied athletes in their own sports. This in a sense indicated the training and dedication which has been undertaken by the special Olympic team.

I will leave my comments at that. Again, on behalf of my party I extend our sincere congratulations to the team. They were a credit to themselves, their families, their coaches and friends and to the Irish nation. We can all be very proud of them.

Mr. Robb

I would like to join with Senator Bradford in congratulating the team on this magnificent result. It speaks volumes not only for the team of people who went out to Seoul but also for the back-up they had from their families. It seems appropriate for me to hand a bouquet to the rehabilitation facilities that exist in Ireland and the support which must have been available at community level to enable the members of the team to develop to the level they attained.

I would like to ask the Minister if there has been any breakdown of the members of the team by area throughout the country. What one usually finds in many western countries is that close to the large cities there are excellent rehabilitation facilities but in the more remote areas it may be very difficult for a handicapped person to obtain the type of support, training, interest and commitment required initially to get over the shock of the handicap because it is a traumatic experience — one moment one is quite well and the next moment one is quite paralysed and then to develop talents and abilities and to find some new direction in life.

One would have to congratulate the people who run the Dún Laoghaire Rehabilitation Centre. I have had experience of sending people from the North to that centre and they have had very gratifying results. One has to ask what other facilities there are throughout the country. For me, one of the great byproducts of what has happened is that it has indicated to us that people who 30 or 40 years ago would have been marginalised in our society are being increasingly integrated into it. This possibly applies to many of the social, physical, psychological, sexual and other groups who, because they did not fit in with the norm, the healthy and the strong in days gone by, were isolated and often live out lonely and quite futile lives. Now it is possible to anticipate, while not a normal life in the sense of those who have not been incapacitated, nevertheless a fulfilled life because we recognise that people have different talents. It is a question of how to find these talents, develop them and have a responsive to society in which they can be used.

Winning these medals is one aspect of what these athletes have done, but another very important aspect is the symbolic effect on society as a whole to show what is possible in spite of disablement, and sometimes very severe disablement indeed. It is a tribute to the athletes themselves. It is an inspiration to the human being and also a reflection of the great possibilities that exist in the human spirit to overcome misfortune.

Professor Murphy

Very briefly I want to support the motion and I am sure I speak for my Independent colleagues in doing so. I was particularly glad that the occasion in Seoul was attended by all the full-scale glamour of the previous Olympics. That was a tribute to the competitors and must have greatly heartened them. The important point has been made by previous speakers that this kind of occasion and the welcome home the competitors were given does indicate a welcome advance in our human relationships and the acceptance and integration of the erstwhile deprived into our community. Not everything is regression in history and in these areas there is a great deal of welcome humanity.

Those of us who enjoy normal physical good health — except when we impair it by self-indulgence — can only marvel at the dedication and discipline of these athletes. All I can do is join my congratulations to the indomitability of spirit of man, of the human species, even when it is housed in a less than perfect body.

Mr. M. O'Toole

I want also to join with the other speakers in offering our congratulations from this side of the House on this major achievement by this team. We are a very small nation and we have not got the many modern facilities in gymnasia and so on. Nevertheless, our achievements in Seoul have been very good this year and great credit must go to the advancement of rehabilitation in this small country.

Everybody knows that in the rehabilitation of any individual it is only when all other requirements of the patient have been met that the patient reaches the frame of mind to branch into the athletic field on this level. That is a tribute in its own way to the training, facilities and achievements of the rehabilitation workers in this country. It is great to see that people, despite disability can achieve world fame in athletics.

I am delighted that we had such an achievement for this country. I am here today to pay my tribute to the many rehabilitation organisations we have in the country. In our motion this evening we may be dealing with the many charitable organisations which are now overlapping in pursuing the same aims but for, maybe, the wrong reasons. That is something we may deal with this evening. I am glad to be associated with this motion.

Mr. McCormack

I would like to second the motion as proposed by Senator Bradford. I am delighted to get this opportunity to offer my congratulations to the entire team of 60 Irish athletes who went to the Paralympics. By any standard their achievement was tremendous and outstanding. I would like to congratulate the contenders, all associated with the team, their trainers, mentors, parents and supporters.

I personally know one of the athletes. It is coincidental — that is why I am very glad to get this opportunity to speak — that exactly at this time, 3.15 p.m. in Galway Borough Council the Mayor and other members of the council — I apologise for my own absence there today — are holding a civic reception for one of those athletes from Galway, Darren Jordan of Cruchan Park, Rahoon, Galway, who achieved the outstanding feat of winning two gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal. He won his gold medal in the obstacle event; he broke the world record in that event and that is an achievement in itself; he won a gold medal in the 400×100 metres relay and his team broke the world record in that event also. So, far from being a Dublin event it is a west of Ireland event. He broke two world records as well as winning two gold medals; he won a silver in the 200 metres; he won a bronze in the 100 metres and he won a bronze in the 400 metres and at this very moment the Mayor of Galway and the borough council are according him a civic reception which I would be attending if my duty did not demand that I should be here.

Senator Bradford referred to the poor coverage by RTE. It is something we must refer to. Not alone was it poor coverage, it was non-existent coverage. In fact, only a snippet was shown on one programme and that was not covered by RTE — it was obviously a piece of film got from somewhere else. After the first Olympics in Seoul the camera crews, reporters and everybody else apparently packed their bags and went home oblivious of the fact that we had 60 people who had put the same effort — or even a lot more effort — into their preparations because the record of the competitors speaks for itself in this regard.

It was a tremendous achievement. Great credit is due, as I say, to those athletes who have done the country proud and, in our case, have done Galway proud in the case of Darren Jordan. I would like to put on record the appreciation of the people of Galway. It has lifted their spirits and that feeling would be general in view of the results.

I compliment the people involved with those athletes in their training and those who supported them in their communities and their families. Particularly, I would like to take this opportunity as I cannot be at the civic reception in Galway to congratulate Darren's parents, Marie and Padraic Jordan, for the dedication with which they have supported him in the furtherance of his obvious and now nationally and internationally recognised ability. I am glad to have this opportunity of doing that.

Mr. J. O'Toole

Unfortunately, at a time when congratulations are being extended I am the one who is going to introduce a fairly negative note to the debate. It would certainly be my wish to associate with the congratulations which are being offered to the Irish team in the Paralympics and I would certainly also commend the manner in which the congratulations are being presented in a very straightforward, non-patronising way, but it is not just possible to look purely at these without looking at the background from which they have come. I have been speaking to the people who have been in charge of the team in Seoul and to the people who represent the Irish Wheelchair Association and they say that the true facts of the matter are that the Irish team need an incredible amount of support for pre-Olympic training which they have not got.

I think Senator McCormack put his finger on it when he says thanks to the communities and families who supported them. The communities and the families supported these people very much. Very often in such cases they did not have the money. For example, in the area of Finglas in North Dublin, families in such areas frequently did not have enough money to put bread on the table but they were prepared to put their hands in their pockets to support some local competitors. That such a thing should be required, is a shame and a scandal. It is something which reflects very badly on our society: this is the cutback mentality and these are the people who are first to be hurt. We need to make a very honest effort in terms of the rights of those people with problems of mobility and it is certainly the position of the Irish Wheelchair Association and the people involved in Paralympics or in the whole movement of sport for those people with mobility problems that they need firm State support.

It should be placed on the record of the House very clearly that it is not good enough and it is not just to allow this responsibility to fall on families and friends. This happens right through their lives. People with mobility problems are always dependent on family and friends. I know this from my own involvement in education because there is not a special education school in this country that does not have a community and friends support group without which they would not be able to survive. The fact is that these people have come through without any support really and in reaching the pinnacle of international achievement they have done so with less than the support they deserve from this community.

I want to give two examples of that. We are very well aware of the problems of access to buildings for people with mobility problems. Why is it that our planning laws do not facilitate the involvement of these people in just moving in? I have noticed an employee of this House who has difficulties in mobility around the House. It is fine for us to stand up now and talk and congratulate — indeed, we all agreed with this and are of one mind in this issue — but let us not forget that next week these people will be back in their communities, or seeking work, or on unemployment assistance and so on and they still need to survive. We can forget about them very easily. That is the first point I make about support for international competition and for pre-Olympic training.

The second point I make is that access to buildings for people with mobility problems should be enshrined in our legislation. Any of us who has travelled to other countries would feel ashamed at the lack of facilities here. I accept it would be very expensive to change existing buildings but certainly in all public buildings in future it should now be a requirement for building by-law approval that such access should be available.

The final point I would like to make is with regard to access to jobs. The Government have a policy — successive Governments have had policies — that there should be jobs available for people with mobility problems at a level of 3 per cent. This was agreed about seven years ago in national understandings, national agreements, etc. I would like to place on record that successive Governments have been remiss and have abrogated their responsibility in this area. There is not a 3 per cent allocation of employment for these people. Looking straight back at the motion, these people cannot any further——

An Cathaoirleach

Are you not paying attention to the right motion? We are on Item No. 51.

Mr. J. O'Toole

I think I am. I know this probably jars a little bit——

An Cathaoirleach

No.

Mr. J. O'Toole

These people are amateurs; they are not professional sportspeople, and in order to compete at the level they aim at, they need some form of support: State support to allow them to continue in what they were doing and to do more of it in the future, but in normal times to have a job and employment so that they can live and work like other people and also pursue their sport. That is why access to employment is important. As bad as it is in the public service let me put on the record very definitely and starkly that there is no policy at all in the private sector of giving employment to people with mobility problems. That really is the country we live in. This is the ambience from which these people have come, from which they have gone and represented us at the highest levels of international endeavour and of whom we are justly proud, but we should also put things in order in our own country.

I regret I did not have notice of this motion as I could have done some research on it. The points I make are somewhat haphazard and perhaps I would have been more careful to relate to the motion had I more time to prepare for it but I will reiterate the three points I have made. These athletes need State support for pre-Olympic and international training in order to retain and develop the standards which they have achieved already. The matter of supporting them in their lives between Olympics is also important; and this raises the issue of access to buildings, public places, places of employment, etc. Finally in order for these people to continue to be part of the community they should have the same right to employment as other people and, therefore, we should see to it that the 3 per cent commitment of successive Governments is implemented and also that the private sector play their part in giving employment to people with mobility problems.

An Cathaoirleach

Before I call on the Minister — it is a little unusual — I certainly would like, as Cathaoirleach and as Tras Honan, to add my voice to congratulate those who took part in the Olympic Games. I would also like to pay tribute to the athletes who did not make it and who had to stay at home. They may have been pipped at the last post.

I have 25 years experience, not in the field we are talking about, but in dealing with the mentally handicapped. I do not agree with my colleague, Senator O'Toole, who said the State should do all of this. In the past 25 years we have been able to open up a tremendous new world to the children and later adults, the world of sport which has always been available to those of us who can walk and run. I see what is being achieved at first hand every week, by people. I see voluntary bodies including the Clare Federation of the Mentally Handicapped, of which I am chairperson, working with the State providing people with this service. I am convinced it is working because people stay with us and help us. Let the Department of Education and the Department of Health come in with us. I agree with Senator O'Toole that there are tremendous gaps, but it would be wrong, and I can speak from experience, if we were to ask any Government Department to totally take over the service being provided to these people. It is successful as it is. I thank Senator Bradford for putting down this motion on the Order Paper.

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs (Mr. Calleary)

I find myself in a somewhat unusual position in that I came to the House to participate in another debate. However, I am extremely glad and privileged to be afforded the opportunity to associate myself with the motion put down in the name of Senator Bradford, and the names of the other Fine Gael Members. I also would like to congratulate most sincerely, and this is important as the Cathaoirleach has already said, not only those who travelled to Seoul and won medals, but those who, by their contributions throughout the year, made it possible for all of the others to go to Seoul.

I am also glad to note, as Senator Murphy indicated, that this was not just a side event, as was the case in years past, and that it was given the full prominence that the Olympic Games themselves received. I recall hearing one of the athletes being interviewed when he came back and he said that one of the things that struck him most of all was the tremendous ceremonial involved, the opening and closing ceremonies. I am glad to see that these Olympics have now taken their own rightful place. They are probably the only true Olympians left and they should be congratulated for that. By competing even at local level, at the smallest regional level, they have proved that they are the true Olympians and have the true Olympic spirit. They are probably the only people who still hold the true Olympic spirit, upon which the Olympic games were founded.

I do not want to get involved in a confrontation with my friend, Senator J. O'Toole, not Senator O'Toole from County Mayo — in case my friends in County Mayo wonder whether there are problems between east and west. I can assure them there are none. I accept the point he made. When I was in the Department of the Public Service I had the privilege of instituting, with the then Minister, the 3 per cent quota the Senator spoke about. As he said, if he had had a little more time he would probably have found out that in accordance with the planning laws access for the disabled must be provided. I accept some of the other points he made, but it is very important also to recall what the Cathaoirleach has said. I do not think the organisations who cater for the disabled or the disabled themselves would want to feel that they are receiving Government charity. However, I accept that in many cases they need much better back-up. Again, I thank the Senators for their remarks. As the Minister with responsibility for sport has already stated when he met the team, not only have they done Ireland proud but, above all, as I said earlier, they are the only true Olympians left.

Question put and agreed to.