Make Way Day, the campaign that brings the disability and wider community together to consider the needs of people with disabilities in the public spaces we all share, returns to County Clare today (Friday).
People with disabilities will be out and about across County Clare and the rest of Ireland on 22nd September with disability groups and local organisations to highlight obstacles such as:
Cars or vans parked on a footpath blocking the way
Bicycles/motorbikes chained to lamp posts creating a trip hazard for a visually impaired person
Illegally placed sandwich boards, forgotten bins, barrels and other obstructions.
Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Cllr Joe Cooney, said, “Clare County Council is delighted to work with the Disability Federation of Ireland and local advocates in supporting Make Way Day in County Clare again this year. This is a really important campaign that highlights the many types of obstacles that stop people with disabilities in their tracks, such as cars parked on footpaths, badly parked bicycles and bins left on footpaths. Many people are unaware of the problems this behaviour causes and Make Way Day is a friendly reminder to encourage people to change.”
Patricia McNamara, Advocate with Clare Leader Forum, said, “We are very pleased to highlight the need for Make Way Day. This is one positive step at local level towards a more inclusive society where barriers are gone and where people with disabilities can live our lives to our fullest. On a wider basis there remains a lot to be done to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and this will remain a focus for Clare Leader Forum.”
In support of Make Way Day, Clare County Council volunteers are participating in a Junior Achievement Ireland (JAI) programme, ‘The Power of Design’. This programme is delivered to fifth and sixth-class students in participating primary schools in Clare. Students will have the opportunity to learn about the value of design in everyday life. The Power of Design uses a learning-by-doing methodology to demonstrate to students the positive impact of design on social, cultural and economic life.
Make Way Day is led by the Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI) and is a unique collaboration across Ireland and the voluntary and local government sectors. But most of all it’s about people with disabilities.
According to the DFI, Make Way Day is not about pointing the finger at local authorities, other agencies, or randomly scattered activism. The whole point of the day is making the public aware of an issue that is fully within their power to change. It’s about one impactful, coordinated and decisive day of action.
So, on Friday, 22nd September 2023, obstacles that block the way and complicate the lives of people with disabilities 365 days of the year are highlighted.
For more information and to find out how you can get involved in Make Way Day, visit: https://www.makewayday.com/