Campaigns
We are a campaigning organisation working for real change in people’s lives so that people with intellectual disabilities are treated as equal, valued citizens. We will lead a movement for change that everyone believes in and can take part in. Our campaigning will help everyone to understand how important these changes are for the lives of people with an intellectual disability.
For the next 3 years we are focusing on 5 different campaigns. You can read more about them below:
Budget 2025
Each year the Government bring out a report they call the Budget. The Budget tells us what the Government plan to spend money on for the following year.
In the summer of 2024, we consulted with 860 people as we prepared our Budget submission. We heard from people with an intellectual disability and their family members about the issues facing them and the solutions available to Government to make a fairer and more equal society. This year at Inclusion Ireland, we have focused our efforts mainly on building a better education system for all children, for this reason we have given this Pre-Budget Submission the title “Make Children with Intellectual Disabilities Matter”.
In Budget 2025 we heard a very similar announcement of some additional SNA and teacher resources just like Budget 2024. Whilst additional resources are always welcome, they were provided in this context; 74% of the children and families we surveyed told us that last year’s budget made absolutely no difference to their lives. The notion that “adding more resources in” to a system that is struggling will yield better results, is one which has been disproven year on year.
We advocated for a comprehensive, inclusive education strategic plan co-created with families, aiming to address systemic issues in access to education. We called for a shift away from temporary fixes to a more thoughtful and rights-based approach. We must hold our representatives accountable and invest in meaningful support for disabled people.
We need a citizen’s assembly on education to shape a more inclusive future and highlight the urgency of addressing the barriers faced by those living with disabilities.
In this document you can see what Inclusion Ireland asked for in Budget 2025 compared to what was announced.
You can also view an accessible video about Budget 2025 below:
