Disabilities Ireland

Freedom Scooters wish to highlight the level of disabilities in each County, today we are looking at Disabilities Ireland as a whole. This is most poignant since the Budget will be in early October. 

22% of the population, or 1,109,557 people, have at least one disability

531,207 males, and 578,350 females have at least one disability

Age Breakdown

98,799 people 0-14 years old have a disability

117,146 people 15-24 years old have a disability

235,342 people 25-44 years old have a disability

308,595 people 44-65 years old have a disability

349,675 people over 65 have a disability

Type of Disability

440,090 people have difficulty with pain, breathing or any other chronic illness or condition

349,155 people have difficulty with basic physical activities

269,789 people have a psychological or emotional condition or a mental health issue

296,601 people have blindness or a vision impairment

233,420 people have Deafness or a hearing impairment

259,050 people have difficulty with learning, remembering or concentrating

109,288 people have an intellectual disability

Disability Federation of Ireland

Disabled people are:

• Four times more likely to live in consistent poverty
• Spending up to 93% of disposable income on extra disability-related costs
• Facing long waits with over 8,000 children have been waiting more than 12 months for initial contact after applying for an assessment of need
• Still forced into nursing homes due to a lack of appropriate housing and supports.