€100,000 to benefit disabled people living independently in Longford

Funding announced for local digital and assistive technology project

Press Release
07 February 2022

Longford County Council is delighted to welcome the announcement that €100,000 will be provided locally in 2022, to provide access to digital and assistive technology for disabled people living independently in the community.

The allocation for Longford was announced as part of a €2m fund for 11 pilot projects nationwide by the Minister for Disabilities Anne Rabbitte under the HSE CREATE initiative.

The Cooperative Real Engagement for Assistive Technology Enhancement (CREATE) initiative will see service users and providers working together to identify what will make a real difference to individual users of digital and assistive technology (DAT). Digital and assistive technologies are defined as “any product or service designed to enable independence for disabled and older people”.

This local project aims to improve access to those technologies for people who need them, and it will be operated by the HSE Adult Disability Service in Longford in conjunction with Longford County Council.

The project will help identify DAT to support disabled people living independently in the community. It will also facilitate those on a housing waiting list to take up a house when one becomes available. The project will be initiated in the coming weeks and will identify around 10 clients where such support can be offered.

Longford County Council’s application was one of 11 successful projects selected out of 79 entries under the initiative.

The local authority is also working closely with the HSE and other stakeholders to update its “Local Strategic Plan for Housing People with a Disability 2021-2025” document, continuing the positive work that has been achieved through the Housing Disability Steering Group to date.

Welcoming the announcement, Cathaoirleach of Longford County Council Cllr Peggy Nolan said, “I would like to pay tribute to the members of the Housing Disability Steering Group here in Longford and the HSE for their hard work in bringing this application forward and realising this funding, which will hopefully have a wonderful impact on the lives of people who depend on this type of technology to continue to live independently here in Longford”.

Longford County Council Chief Executive Paddy Mahon said, “This funding demonstrates Longford’s commitment to supporting independent living and achieving the vision that is contained in our strategy in a manner that promotes dignity, equality of opportunity, individual choice and independent living.”

ENDS

Additional Information:

  • Please see note on page 1 of the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022-2027 (gov.ie - National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022 – 2027 (www.gov.ie)) in relation to the disability terminology employed in this press release.
  • The HSE Disability Services for Longford provides and funds a range of services to support people with sensory, cognitive, physical, and intellectual disabilities, across all age ranges and across different settings.
  • This CREATE pilot project in Longford will target unmet needs, supporting people to live in and contribute to their communities through work, leisure, and social participation.
  • Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD) obliges State parties to recognize the equal right of all persons with disabilities to live in the community, with choices equal to others, and to take effective and appropriate measures to facilitate full enjoyment by persons with disabilities of this right and their full inclusion and participation in the community.
  • Longford County Council Housing Department plays a key role in the provision of social housing supports for disabled people, including people currently living independently, those living with their families or in other arrangements. The Council works in cooperation with the HSE and other agencies to deliver inclusive housing solutions for disabled people.
  • Digital and assistive technology (DAT) is a key component in the pursuit of independent living and enables disabled people to fulfil their right to live independently in their own homes and in their own community.

Background to local project:

HSE Disability Services, the Occupational Therapy Department Longford & Westmeath and Longford County Council Housing Department have built strong links and gained significant knowledge through the local Housing and Disability Steering Group. This group understands the barriers and challenges to independent living that present for some people with disabilities and how digital and assistive technologies (DAT) in conjunction with other supports can be leveraged to facilitate and enable independent living. Through the CREATE 2021 funding (€100,000) and working with other CREATE projects and the HSE’s National Clinical Programme for People with Disability, the team will conduct a focussed pilot project to examine and build the processes and tools for best assessing for, integrating and using DAT to support independent living for a number of service users who:

  • Live in local authority housing and would benefit from digital and assistive technology in the home to increase independence.
  • Have a housing need, are on the Longford housing waiting list and would benefit from digital and assistive technology in the home which would support their application for housing.
  • Are keen and willing to try DAT to realise their independent living goals.

Examples of DAT to support independent living include but are not limited to the following aids and devices:

  • Environmentally controlled smart switches for on/off switches-basic lights,
  • Remote controlled/smart devices for television, heating and curtains/blinds
  • Voice activation systems for example, Google Home, Alexa
  • Security systems including camera with access-controlled door access and window access
  • Keypads for entry to the home
  • Sensory monitoring systems to detect, trips, slips and falls and wandering

Key principles of the CREATE initiative are collaborative working, based on addressing the needs of people with disabilities and co-designing solutions with people. CREATE project partners will come together in a series of workshops, bringing together people with good ideas, ensuring these ideas can weave together, creating better opportunities, more participation and greater independence for people with disabilities and others through the use of digital and assistive technologies.

It is envisaged that the learning from these projects will be disseminated widely and integrated into future health and social care policies and practice.