NCBI 2018 Pre-budget submission
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NCBI Pre-budget submission 2018
Contents
The impact of sight loss......................................................... 2
About NCBI – National Council for the Blind of Ireland..... 3
Sight loss figures..................................................................... 3
NCBI’s recommendations for budget 2018.......................... 4
Department of Employment and Social Protection....... 4
Department of Health........................................................ 8
Department of Enterprise and Innovation.................. 14
Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport............ 16
Department of Housing, Planning and Local
Government.................................................................... 21
Department of Education and Skills............................. 22
Department of Communications, Climate Action
and Environment............................................................ 24
1The impact of sight loss
Regardless of time of onset, sight loss impacts on all aspects of
an individual’s life and that of their family; income / employment,
health, mobility, transport, housing, education / training,
technology requirements, relationships, self-confidence, and
therefore a holistic approach is required to address the physical,
psychological, financial and technological impacts and needs that
arise as a result of sight loss.
On this basis NCBI is outlining in our pre-budget submission
for 2018 recommendations and asks of individual government
departments. In addition to this, we are recommending more
coordination across government departments that would result in
more conjoined policies and services, which would inevitably result
in better outcomes for people with sight loss (and all who live with
disability), many of whom struggle to make ends meet and to have
their most basic of needs met and their rights recognised as citizens.
The way forward
As we embark on a new Disability Inclusion Strategy and we sit on
the cusp of ratification and subsequently implementation of the
UNCRPD, NCBI is fully committed to collaborating and working
in partnership with government departments towards putting
in place policies and systems that will reflect moves towards
compliance and adherence to current and future legislation,
directives, and the CRPD itself. Together we will begin to address
the many ways in which people with disabilities, including those
who are blind and vision impaired, are denied their rights in many
aspects of life in Ireland. This pre-budget submission sets out
NCBI’s recommendations for beginning that process by effective,
efficient and targeted allocation of resources and collaboration
across government departments.
2About NCBI – National Council for the
Blind of Ireland
At NCBI, we are working every day with people of all ages, from
young babies to those reaching their 100th birthday. The majority
of people we work with actually have some remaining vision, while
a small percentage are completely blind.
We understand the impact of sight loss – the fear people may
feel when they are having difficulty seeing road crossing signals
or the upset when struggling to do things like reading, writing, or
recognising people’s faces; the worries families have about their
loved ones living alone safely; the dreams and hopes that parents
have for their children born with low vision, sometimes coupled
with other complex needs and their need for support through the
pathway of their life to having their child’s needs met as they grow
up.
NCBI offers emotional and practical help so that people can live
their lives fully with confidence and independence, now and into
the future.
NCBI Sight loss figures
• 51,718 people with significant
sight loss.
• Work with 8,000 each year.
3NCBI’s recommendations for budget 2018
Department of Employment and Social
Protection
Minimum Essential Standard of Living
Research carried out recently by NCBI and Vincentian Partnership
for Social Justice found that the Minimum Essential Standard of
Living (MESL) for a single adult with vision impairment costs €44.54
(18%) more on a weekly basis than for a single adult in the main
MESL budgets for the general population [1].
A Minimum Essential Standard of Living
(MESL)
€285.76
per week • Person with vision impairment
€241.22 • Person with full sight
per week
• (18%) more per week for a person with
€44.54 vision impairment.
per week
Therefore, NCBI welcomes the commitment in ‘A Programme for a
Partnership Government’ to support “an increase in the Disability
Benefit and Allowance, Carer’s Benefit and Allowance, and Blind
Person’s Pension”.
4There are anomalies between Disability Allowance and Blind
Pension which need to be addressed. Some people with impaired
vision are in receipt of Blind Pension whilst other people with sight
loss are in receipt of Disability Allowance. The greatest anomaly
between Blind Pension and Disability Allowance is disregarded
means. Blind Pension has a disregarded means of €20,000 and
Disability Allowance has a disregarded means of €50,000.
Disregarded means
• Blind Pension €20,000
• Disability Allowance €50,000
Recommendations
1. Increase Blind Pension and Disability Allowance by €20 a week.
2. Address the anomalies between Disability Allowance and Blind
Pension and increase the disregarded means for Blind Pension
to €50,000.
• €20 a week increase in Disability
Allowance and Blind Pension.
5Welfare to employment
There are a number of barriers for people with impaired vision in
relation to moving out of welfare and into employment. Some of
these barriers are outlined below:
●● The transition period from benefits to employment and back
again is problematic for many people with sight loss.
●● There is confusion around what employment services are
available and the extent to which they have capacity to work
effectively with people with sight loss.
●● NCBI has had experience of some applications for Workplace
Equipment / Adaptation Grant being granted and others being
refused. There does not appear to be consistency in responses
to applications.
●● There is confusion within the Department regarding people on
Disability Allowance and Blind Pension and in relation to Blind
Welfare Allowance, which is causing considerable concern and
reduced income for some.
6Recommendations
1. Implement recommendations of “Make Work Pay” 2017.
2. Make the Workplace Equipment / Adaptation Grant and the
Personal Reader Grant available to public sector employees
and Section 39 organisations.
3. Ensure that the Workplace Equipment / Adaptation Grant is
administered consistently.
4. All job activation schemes should be disability-proofed.
5. Services need to be integrated – welfare, employment, HSE
and other departments need to work collaboratively.
6. Engagement is essential between NCBI and Intreo services
on barriers to accessing employment services which include
limited transport options to get to Intreo offices, accessibility
of Intreo buildings, the service itself, and information available.
7. All Intreo staff should receive training in working with
people who are blind and vision impaired and increase their
knowledge regarding the technological and other practical
solutions to perceived difficulties in employment of a person
who is blind or has impaired vision. NCBI, as the national
sight loss agency, should deliver this training and should be
resourced to do so by the Department.
8. The National Advocacy Service needs to be resourced and
expanded so that it is actually available and accessible for
people with disabilities, including people who are vision
impaired or blind.
7Department of Health
As part of the National Vision Coalition, NCBI is committed to the
development of a National Vision Strategy in partnership with the
Department of Health to ensure a clear, efficient and effective
pathway from assessment though treatment and rehabilitation
services for people who experience sight loss.
Funding NCBI Services
As the primary funder of NCBI’s front line services (currently
through the HSE), the Department of Health should ensure that
NCBI, the national sight loss agency, is fully resourced to address
the identified needs of people who are blind and vision impaired
through professionally trained specialist staff based in accessible
locations and one single national budget.
Recommendations
1. Restoration of funding allocation to NCBI by at least 16%,
which reflects funding reduction since 2008, which would
enable NCBI to respond to current and future growth in
numbers of people experiencing sight loss in line with the
increasing population of older people.
2. One single national budget for NCBI to facilitate equal access
to services across the country.
3. See appendix for more recommendations.
• Restore funding allocation to NCBI by
at least 16%.
8Aids and appliances: technology
Recent research by NCBI [1] shows that individuals with vision
impairment are faced with large up-front expenses to pay for
essential assistive technology. An individual on a low income
or a person who has recently had to give up work as a result of
acquiring vision loss (or deterioration of an eye condition) should
not be expected to pay up-front high costs, upwards of €800 at
a minimum, for basic accessibility requirements that are directly
associated with sight loss. Often, people have to go without these
most basic of requirements which would enable them to move
on with their lives in spite of sight loss because the Technical Aids
Grant in their area is either non-existent or has such a long waiting
list that it may as well not be there.
Vision loss (which can become part of anyone’s family at any time)
is an unplanned visitor into people’s lives. It results in people
having to adapt and learn new ways of doing things as well as
develop strategies and mechanisms for coping with the change.
Assistive technologies are not luxury items but are instead
essential for enabling those with vision impairment to complete
their education, gain or retain employment, and to live in their
community.
NCBI’s “Out of sight” survey found that 72% of participants with
sight loss said that access to assistive technology would enhance
their choices and opportunities [2].
• NCBI Research - 72% said access to
assistive technology would enhance
their choices and opportunities.
9Despite the clear significance of assistive technology for those
with vision impairment in general, funding for assistive technology
in Ireland, in comparison to other countries, is fragmented and
uncoordinated. HSE discretionary funding for assistive technology
has also been greatly reduced and in many HSE areas the funding
stream has disappeared completely.
Recommendations
1. Introduce an Assistive Technology Passport [3]. This is a
record of an individual Assistive Technology user’s equipment,
training and funding history. It is owned by the person and
offers them autonomy over their assistive technology needs. It
would travel with the person, across school, college and work.
It would allow them to have freedom of movement throughout
the country on par with everyone else without fear of losing
funding, IT supports or training on the assistive technology
they use.
2. A central agency should be mandated with responsibility for
ensuring delivery of a comprehensive infrastructure to include
the coordination of the Assistive Technology Passport process,
information provision, and model of service delivery that
will serve the needs of citizens’ with disabilities for Assistive
Technology solutions [3].
3. Fair and equal access to assistive technologies for people
across the country.
4. Each HSE region should adopt standardised criteria for
approving low tech magnification aids, as an entitlement under
the GMS (General Medical Service). Currently each region
employs different criteria for the awarding of magnification
or low vision aids. This creates unnecessary stress for those
who require the aids for fundamental tasks such as reading
10and writing. It is vital that any residual vision a person has is
optimised to maximise their quality of life and independence.
5. Long canes which are essential for people with little or no
vision to move around safely and independently (and symbol
canes to indicate vision impairment to others) should be
available to those who need them, free of charge from
the State. Currently NCBI requires €20,000 per annum of
fundraised income to provide one cane per year and is of the
opinion that canes should be funded by the State.
6. NCBI requests an increase in Lottery funding to help fund NCBI
projects that support social inclusion for people with impaired
vision.
7. Census figures from 2016 show that there is an increase
of 19% in the number of those over 65 years [4]. As the
population ages, so will the incidence of age related sight loss.
NCBI requires additional funding in order to cope with an
increase in demand for our services.
11Aids and appliances: eyewear
Recent research found that people on low incomes are spending
€5.74 per week on specialist prescription glasses / lens’s and
high spec sun filter glasses, without which many people severely
affected by glare cannot leave the house [1]. High spec (sometimes
prescription) sunglasses are an essential item for an individual with
vision impairment as daylight can affect a person’s eye condition
and often causes pain and incapacity to see anything.
Recommendations
1. Include high spec sunglasses / filters and specialist spectacle
lenses for those with vision impairment within the definition of
aids and appliances.
2. For every second set of high spec lenses and sunglasses
received, a second (back-up pair) should be provided to
mitigate against the high risk of accidental damage and to
reduce for the State the cost of reassessment.
Personal assistant and support services
NCBI welcomes the commitment in ‘A Programme for a Partnership
Government’ to review State structures and delivery to respond
to the introduction of personalised budgeting tailored specifically
to the needs of the individual. A personalised budget would go
somewhat towards responding to the fact that personal assistants
and support services are becoming increasingly necessary to
enable people with sight loss to do the ordinary things of everyday
life such as shopping, transport, participating in community,
health and well-being, attending appointments and engaging with
public services. Lack of funding has reduced access to assistance,
transport, and support services significantly. Without a renewed
12commitment to a properly resourced personal assistant service
that is available to and inclusive of people with sight loss, people
who are blind and vision impaired will continue to have great
difficulty engaging in education and employment opportunities,
living independently, or participating in their communities.
The personal assistant service plays a key role in the lives of many
people with disabilities in Ireland. There is a growing demand for
this service and people with impaired vision are losing out due
to unavailability of a personal assistant service to respond to the
needs of our particular cohort of people.
A recent NCBI study [2] found that 48% of respondents with vision
impairment said that “access to funding for a personal assistant
to enhance capacity to do the things you want / need to do and
access to a call up service (to help people to get out to do the
things that are important to them) would enhance life choices and
opportunities”.
Recommendations
1. NCBI calls on the Department of Health to support the HSE
in extending the current personal assistant service to include
people with sight loss.
2. Fund personal assistant services for people with sight loss
regardless of where they live, which addresses the specific
and different requirements of a person who is blind or vision
impaired.
3. NCBI should co-ordinate this service with government funding.
13Department of Enterprise and
Innovation
Rates of employment amongst people
with sight loss
• UK: 41%
• Australia: 36%
• Canada: 33%
• Ireland: 16%
Barrier to accessing employment
The main obstacles for people with vision impairment in relation
to employment are the negative attitudes they face and lack of
awareness about the possibilities and options for overcoming the
effects of sight loss and people’s capacity to work effectively.
An NCBI survey [2] found that 82% of participants with sight loss
do not believe that people with impaired vision have the same
employment opportunities as their fully sighted peers.
Employment
Employed Opportunites Discrimination
Resume
64% accessing
employment
19% 82% 25% 48% while in
In paid Don’t believe they Have experienced employment
employment have the same discrimination while
opportunities employed
14Declaration of disability on application (or not) can also pose
a significant dilemma for applicants with disabilities. The main
reason for not declaring prior to interview is fear of unconscious
bias which may be based on lack of awareness on the part of
employers.
Other barriers to employment for people with impaired vision
include limited availability of / access to assistive and mainstream
technology required for employment, lack of transport from home
to a potential work location.
Recommendations
1. Information needs to be provided to employer’s regarding
grants available to accommodate employees with disabilities.
2. The Workplace Equipment / Adaptation Grant and the Personal
Reader Grant should be made available to people with sight
loss who work in the public sector or Section 39 organisations.
3. Introduce a Transport to Work Scheme which would make
available affordable transport to and from work for those who
are unable to drive a car. This would remove one of the major
barriers for people with sight loss taking up or remaining in
employment.
4. Funding should be made available for awareness campaigns
that showcase the capacity of people with sight loss when
reasonable accommodation is in place and assistive
technology and enabling supports available.
5. Establish a policy initiative that states where a person meets
the criteria for a position and declares they have a disability,
an interview should be guaranteed. This would enable the
15applicant to know that declaration of disability would be safe
and not responded to negatively. It would give the potential
employer an opportunity to increase their understanding of
how things can be done and expose them to the possibilities
and options that enable a person with a disability to contribute
to a workforce.
6. Making funding available for IT training and skills development
to be delivered by NCBI to prepare people with sight loss for
online engagement with public services from 2018 onwards.
Department of Transport, Tourism
and Sport
Transport services
NCBI welcomes the Government’s commitment in ‘A Programme
for a Partnership Government’ to invest in “making public transport
services more accessible for people with disabilities including the
provision of audio announcements on train and bus services to aid
people who are blind and vision impaired”.
People who are blind or vision impaired cannot drive and therefore
public transport is their only means of transport. Accessible public
transport is vital for independence. Availability goes hand in hand
with accessibility. Many people, particularly outside main cities,
are trapped in their homes or very restricted in their capacity to
access public services or engage in social, educational political,
recreational activities, or employment because it is not possible for
them to travel within their own county!
16Recommendations
1. NCBI recommends a complete review and revamp of the
transport services in Ireland in order to increase public
transport availability to everyone including people with
impaired vision.
2. All public transport should operate audible announcements
both within carriages / coaches and at stations / platforms
to enable those with insufficient vision to have access to
the same basic information as the sighted population – i.e.
destination of the train, tram or bus and location of next stop /
station.
Free travel
The free travel scheme is something that is valued by those who
can avail of it and needs to be retained. The current criteria for
eligibility is causing a difficulty for some people who cannot see
enough to obtain a driver’s licence and yet do not fulfil the criteria
for eligibility – they therefore fall between two stools.
Recommendations
1. Eligibility criteria for access to the free travel scheme should be
changed to include those with a long-term eye condition which
renders their level of vision insufficient to meet criteria for a
drivers licence.
17Taxis
One of the main impacts of sight loss is lack of capacity to drive a
car and for many journeys people need to make, public transport is
simply not available. This results in significantly higher use of taxis
by people with sight loss, even among those on very low incomes.
A recent focus group ‘consensus based research’ with people who
live with vision impairment identified taxis as the most expensive
service being used by people with impaired vision.
Recommendations
1. NCBI is seeking a commitment that people in receipt of free
travel due to sight loss will not face cuts in the course of any
review.
2. Public transport, where it exists, is the only means of transport
for a person who is blind or vision impaired but there are
many locations in which it is not available and where there
is a public transport service, it sometimes does not include
the route to and from the places that people need to go. A
subsidised taxi transport scheme should also be introduced
for this cohort of people. In some jurisdictions, a subsidised
taxi system is available. Some examples include:
●● London’s ‘Taxicard’ system,
●● Chicago’s Taxi Access Program and
●● Australia’s Multi-Purpose Taxi Program.
Rail travel
Many trains and train stations continue to present significant
barriers for people who are blind and vision impaired. In addition
to the ongoing lack of audible announcements, with unstaffed
stations around the country, people with impaired vision are faced
18with uncertainty as to the availability of a member of staff to offer
assistance on and off the train. People have to give 24 hours’ notice
of travel, if they require assistance, and NCBI finds this situation
unacceptable.
Recommendations
1. Allocate funding to upgrade (or staff) unmanned train stations
to ensure that people with disabilities have full access to travel
whenever they choose, just like everyone else.
2. All trains to have audible announcements that are functioning
switched on and maintained to operate correctly.
3. All stations to be fully accessible to persons with impaired
vision, i.e. audible announcements of the destination and
platform of all trains in advance of and as they enter the
station.
Buses: Recommendations
1. All buses / coaches to have audible announcements that are
functioning and reliable for all journeys.
2. All buses and coaches to be fitted with cameras to enable
monitoring of alignment with kerb edges and reduce the
risk of persons with impaired vision sustaining injury as they
embark or disembark the bus.
3. Monitoring and review of all accessibility features and
procedures that have been put in place to facilitate equal
access and consequences for misuse or non-compliance by
employees of transport companies.
19Trams: Recommendations
1. All trams to have audible announcements that are functioning
and reliable for all journeys.
2. Audible announcement of the destination of “the tram” as it
enters and stops at the platform.
3. Monitoring and review of all accessibility features and
procedures that have been put in place to facilitate equal
access and consequences for misuse or non-compliance by
employees of transport companies.
Electric vehicles
In “A Programme for a Partnership Government” the
government states that it “want(s) Ireland to become a leader
in the take-up of electric vehicles. We will establish a dedicated
taskforce involving relevant government departments, agencies,
industry and representative groups, to work on this goal and to set
ambitious and achievable targets”.
Recommendations
1. NCBI to be a full member of the taskforce to ensure that
the needs of people with sight loss are represented and
considered in relation to provision of an Alert Vehicular
Acoustic Systems (AVAS) that cannot be switched off.
20Department of Housing, Planning and
Local Government
People with sight loss are perceived as particularly vulnerable,
walking many places often with the use of a cane or guide dog or
having to travel slowly to safely use residual vision while moving
around. This group of people are dependent on public transport
and rely on local authorities to ensure their physical safety by
maintaining public footpaths and spaces, highlighting edges of
steps, installing and maintaining audible signals on traffic lights,
tactile paving to indicate where traffic light crossings are located,
and having appropriate lighting in public spaces.
Recommendations
1. Local authorities need to be resourced and subsequently
obliged to facilitate full access, inclusion, and participation
of people with sight loss including moving about safely and
having access to public and community amenities.
2. Access features including those listed above must comply with
legislation and directives and must be resourced to do so as
well as monitored on an ongoing basis.
3. Local authority / social housing must take into consideration
the specific needs of persons who are blind or vision impaired
when allocating accommodation.
4. Vulnerability of persons who are blind or vision impaired must
be taken into account when housing is being allocated.
21Department of Education and Skills
NCBI recognises that the overall broad concept of mainstreaming
in primary and secondary schools has been well embedded
through the work of the Department however, sometimes the
practical application of the concept is lost through lack of attention
to detail (and resources) with the individual child. In addition, at a
local level, schools often develop meaningful working relationships
with the not-for-profit sector (who are providing support services
to children in education) but these relationships need to be
supported at a national level.
It is clear that educational plays a critical role in preparing people
for employment. Although children with vision impairments are
achieving academically at primary and second level, they are not
gaining the social and life skills at the same rate as their sighted
peers. This leaves them at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to
competing for employment.
NCBI sees education and literacy as fundamental enablers of
independence and participation in society and as the foundation
stone for higher participation rates in the employment market.
We note the research by AHEAD [5] which gives details of the
disability profile of total student population in 2013 to 2014. Only
2.8% of student population at third level have a vision impairment
and while the total numbers of students with disabilities rose by
4% year on year, the number of students with vision impairments
actually fell by 10% - the second fall in consecutive years.
• AHEAD Research – Only 2.8% of the
student population at third level have
a vision impairment.
22This shockingly low and decreasing participation rate of people
with impaired vision in higher education is a great concern to
us. Having consulted with many colleges and interested bodies,
NCBI has learned that many colleges currently struggle with
this issue. We believe that the absence of a specialised service
producing accessible materials in the format chosen by the student
themselves is a contributory factor in the low participation rates.
Recommendations
1. NCBI recommends that the Department, at a national level, put
polices in place that ensure the development of meaningful
working relationships between schools and the not-for-
profit sector (who are providing support services to children
in education) in order to maximize potential outcomes for
children.
2. NCBI recommends that funding is made available for the
production of all course content at primary, secondary and
third level in the accessible formats of a student’s choice, from
the beginning of the academic year. This will enable greater
participation of people who are blind and vision impaired
in higher education and ensure that the needs of students
with vision impairments are accommodated throughout their
education.
3. The availability to all children at each level of education
the technology that they require to participate fully in the
education system and achieve their potential.
4. The introduction and use of an advocacy type resource would
be an invaluable resource to parents who are often forced
into a relationship of both advocate and parent with the
educational system.
235. An holistic approach to education, that recognises the equal
importance of both the academic and social developmental
needs of children with disabilities, should be adopted. NCBI
recommends the introduction of an expanded core curriculum
for children with vision impairment to address this. This would
include the required compensatory skills such as mobility,
digital literacy and low vision skills and could be provided in co-
operation with the not-for-profit sector in a structured and co-
ordinated way. It is also necessary that training and appropriate
resourcing for specialist subjects, such as Braille maths, Braille
music and assistive technology, is provided. Particular attention
needs to be paid to transition periods within the educational
system and ensure that preparation and progress is structured.
Department of Communications, Climate
Action and Environment
EU web accessibility directive
Right now, numerous websites, apps and e-learning platforms
are inaccessible to screen reading software. The new EU Web
Accessibility Directive will significantly improve the accessibility of
online public services.
Recommendations
1. Government needs to prepare for the implementation of EU
Web Accessibility Directive (next 18-24 months).
2. Continue to prioritise funding for digital skills development for
people who are blind and vision impaired particularly as public
services will require this for access when they go on-line.
24Audio description
The current targets for audio description (AD) in Ireland are too low
and are considerably out of sync with the UK.
Channel 2015 target 2018 target Comment
●● 11,000 hours of
programme.
RTÉ 1
1.75% 2.5% ●● 494 hours AD – 4.5%
and 2
●● Includes 82 hours of
children’s programmes.
●● Target not being met.
RTÉ ●● Infrastructure not in
2% 5%
Junior place.
●● Upgrade due in 2017.
●● 10%
●● Many broadcasters
UK
provide 20% audio
description.
RTÉ 1 and 2 have a target of 2.5% audio description for 2018 and RTÉ
Junior has a target of 5%. In the UK, the audio description target is
10% but many broadcasters provide 20% audio description.
In a recent NCBI survey, 51% of people who are blind and vision
impaired listed the availability of more audio described television
programmes as a priority in improving their ability to participate in
cultural and social life [2].
25• NCBI Research - 51% saw audio
description as a priority.
The challenges that affect television in general, such as streaming,
also have an impact on the viewing of people who are blind or vision
impaired. The availability of audio described programming on UK
channels and through streaming (Netflix and Amazon) means that
people who are blind or vision impaired in Ireland are choosing
other channels to view content in a way that is accessible to them.
Even when programmes are audio described by RTÉ, they may
not be made available in that way by providers like Sky and
Virgin, whereas almost all of Netflix and Amazon’s offerings are
automatically available with audio description.
RTÉ programmes with audio description are not made available
with audio description on the RTE player, unlike the BBC iPlayer,
which includes audio description.
Recommendations
1. Increase audio description targets. NCBI feels that a target of
10% by 2020 is achievable and necessary if we are to catch up
with our UK counterparts.
2. Ensure compliance across platforms (such as the RTE Player).
3. There should be accessibility of the entire experience – from
website to app to programme.
4. There should be greater awareness among providers like Sky,
Virgin, and eir on ensuring provision of RTÉ audio description
programming.
5. The accessibility of set-top boxes should be fully considered.
266. Education and awareness among people who are blind and
vision impaired on how to access audio description content
should be taken on board.
7. Consult with NCBI in relation to implementing these
recommendations.
• Increase audio description target to
10% by 2020.
27References
[1] NCBI and the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice (2017)
Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) for a single adult with
vision impairment (Unpublished).
[2] NCBI (2016) Out of Sight Campaign: A report on the Access
Priorities of people who are blind and vision impaired in Ireland
– Accessed at http://www.ncbi.ie/ncbi-research/out-of-sight-
campaign-access-survey-2/)
[3] Enable Ireland and Disability Federation of Ireland (2016)
Assistive Technology for People with Disabilities and Older People:
A Discussion Paper – Accessed at http://www.enableireland.ie/
report-0)
[4] Census (2016) Census 2016 Results: Profile 3 – An Age Profile
of Ireland – Accessed at http://www.cso.ie/en/csolatestnews/
pressreleases/2017pressreleases/pressstatementcensus2016result
sprofile3-anageprofileofireland/.
[5] AHEAD (2017) Numbers of Students with Disabilities Studying
in Higher Education in Ireland 2015-16 – Accessed at https://www.
ahead.ie/userfiles/files/shop/free/Rates%2015-16%20Online.pdf.
28Appendix
Restoration of pay
In the last few years cuts in HSE funding resulted in pay cuts for
NCBI staff as was the case in other section 39 organisations. In
order to continue to provide high quality services for people
with sight loss we need to retain highly qualified staff. To do
this we need to be in a position to offer pay rates that are in
line with section 38 agencies. If this does not happen, section
39 organisations will lose specialist, skilled and experienced
professionals and only be in a position to attract and retain less
qualified staff. As a consequence we will be forced into delivering
lower grade services. It is NCBI’s belief that people with sight loss
should have access to the same quality of (staff delivered) services
as those who use section 38 and HSE services.
‘’Pay restoration on same basis as S38 organisations is required if
we are going to retain and attract suitably qualified staff to support
service provision into the future.
There is a real risk that the current division in pay rates between
S38 and S39 organisations which has opened up since April 1st
2017 will lead to diminution in capacity of organisations to retain
professional staff, which in turn compromises the standards of
service excellence we aim to provide. If left uncorrected, this
situation will compromise future ability to provide even basic
services.
29The April 2017 pay restoration in S38 organisations has started
to further open up a salary and conditions differential, which is
unfair to staff working in S39 organisations who already have a
much reduced pension provision as against those working in S38
organisations.’’
Recommendations
1. There needs to be a restoration of pay for NCBI (a section
39 organisation) staff and a commitment to parity with
professional grades in the HSE going forward to ensure
continuity of service capacity and retention of quality
standards.
2. NCBI recommends that section 39 organisations are treated
the same as section 38 organisations in terms of pay
restoration.
30Notes:
31Notes: 32
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