Health Services for People with Intellectual, Physical or Sensory Disabilities

Information

The Health Service Executive (HSE) provides a range of services for people with intellectual, physical and sensory disabilities or autism. These services include basic health services as well as assessment, rehabilitation, income maintenance, community care and residential care.

Some services are provided directly by the HSE. Many of the community, residential and rehabilitative training services are provided by voluntary organisations with grant aid from the HSE. The level of service varies considerably throughout the country.

Health Service Executive (HSE) Administrative Areas have appointed Disability Services Managers to co-ordinate the delivery of services to people with disabilities.

General health services

People with disabilities are entitled to general health services on the same basis as everyone else. These services include:

• Medical cards
• Prescribed drugs and medicines
• Medical and surgical aids and appliances
• Hospital services
• Dental services, optical services and aural services

Community care services

People with disabilities are entitled to avail of the range of community care services. In many cases, they have priority in access to the services. The relevant community care services are:

• Public health nurses
• Home helps
• Personal assistance
• Psychological services
• Speech and language therapy
• Occupational therapy services
• Social work services
• Physiotherapy
• Day care
• Respite care

Income maintenance

Department of Social and Family Affairs payments

People with disabilities are entitled to the full range of social welfare payments on the same basis as everyone else. There are certain social welfare payments that are aimed specifically at people with disabilities:

• Disability Allowanceis a means tested payment for people aged 16 and upwards who have a long-term disability that results in their being unable to undertake work that would otherwise be suitable for people of their age, experience and qualifications.
• Illness Benefit is a social insurance payment for people who are sick. It is mainly a short-term benefit but it may continue to be payable if you become unable to work on a long-term basis, have enough social insurance contributions and do not qualify for Invalidity Pension.
• Invalidity Pension is a social insurance payment payable to people who are have enough social insurance contributions and who are likely to be unable to work in the long term.
• Blind Pension is a means tested payment for people aged 18 and upwards who are visually impaired. Visually impaired people aged between 16 and 18 may qualify for the Disability Allowance.
• Occupational Injuries Benefits: There are a number of benefits payable under the Occupational Injuries scheme to people who are ill or disabled as a result of an accident at work or a prescribed industrial illness.
• Carer's Benefit or Carer's Allowance may be payable to full-time carers of people with disabilities.
• Domiciliary Care Allowance
• Free travel: People with disabilities who are receiving a long-term payment are entitled to free travel and may also be entitled to a companion pass
• Household Benefits Scheme: This is the term used to cover benefits such as the Free Electricity Allowance, Free Telephone Rental and related benefits. People with disabilities who are receiving a long-term payment are entitled to these benefits if they meet certain requirements.

Health Service Executive (HSE) payments

The Health Service Executive (HSE) provide a number of payments for people with disabilities:

• Blind Welfare Allowance
• Mobility Allowance
• Motorised Transport Grant
• Rehabilitation Training Allowance

Training and education

Training services

FÁS is the national agency delivering vocational training to people with disabilities. Vocational training services for people with disabilities are provided by FÁS on an integrated basis. FÁS also provides a range of employment-related supports for people with disabilities. These include adaptations grants, disability awareness training for employers and grants to retain workers who have become disabled while in employment. People with disabilities are eligible for the full range of back to work supports including the community employment and social economy schemes.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) is responsible for rehabilitative training that is not directly linked to the labour market. People in rehabilitative training may be paid a Rehabilitative Training Allowance by the HSE or a training provider. The HSE has taken responsibility for this area since July 2000 when services for people with disabilities were mainstreamed. Formerly, rehabilitative training was organised by the National Rehabilitation Board. HSE Areas also have responsibility for providing for or arranging for the provision of sheltered work for people with disabilities.

Education

Children up to the age of 18 are entitled to education services. Responsibility for education services lies with the Department of Education and Science. There are specific arrangements in place for children with special needs.

The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 (pdf) provides for the education of children under 18 with special educational needs. The Act focuses on children’s education but there are references to further and adult education.

The provision of education services for children with disabilities is closely connected to the provision of health-related support services for children with disabilities. Sometimes the dividing line between the two is not clear. These services include speech and language therapy and occupational therapy and physiotherapy services and are generally provided on an outreach basis to children of schoolgoing age.

Psychological services are provided by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to, amongst others, people with learning disabilities or autism. Psychological services are also provided by the National Educational Psychological Service, which is an agency of the Department of Education and Science.

Residential care

People with disabilities who are unable to live at home may be provided with long-term residential care. This care may be provided directly by the HSE or on their behalf by voluntary organisations, which are largely financed by the HSE.

Care may be provided in a residential centre or in community homes with house parents and other supports.

Some people with disabilities are in public hospitals or in private nursing homes. Some people with disabilities are in psychiatric hospitals but it is accepted that this is not appropriate and there is an ongoing programme to provide more appropriate placements for this group.

Voluntary organisations

Many of the health services for people with disabilities are provided by voluntary organisations, usually with financial support from the Health Service Executive (HSE). There is a wide range of national and local organisations that provide services. There are umbrella organisations for people with physical and intellectual disabilities or autism and support groups for people suffering from particular illnesses. Most of these organisations also campaign for the rights of people with disabilities. There are also a number of organisations that devote themselves exclusively to promoting the rights of people with disabilities.

Information on disability organisations can be found in the Directory of National Voluntary Organisations (pdf) , which is published by the Citizens Information Board. This Directory is also available in hard copy.

Further Information

The Citizens Information Board has a booklet and a number of factsheets giving information on services for people with disabilities.