Connacht Tribune
Galway graduate and wheelchair user inspires others on independent living
A graduate and Galway city wheelchair user is telling her story to inspire others to think past any perceived limitations to living a fully independent life.
Yvonne Fahy is fronting a national housing campaign this year by Irish Wheelchair Association, focusing on social housing for people with disabilities.
Think Ahead, Think Housing is an awareness campaign for people with disabilities, encouraging them to apply to their local authority for housing sooner rather than later.
Yvonne Fahy is a wheelchair user who has been living independently in Galway city for over twenty years.
Earlier this year, she completed a Master’s in Public Advocacy and Activism at University of Galway and decided to support Irish Wheelchair Association’s housing campaign to encourage people like herself who don’t feel they have options or opportunities when it comes to housing.
“I never thought that it would be possible for me to live independently, because I didn’t have the confidence and courage in myself to do so,” said Yvonne.
“I was worrying how would I pay my rent, being part of the community, how would I integrate into society… However, it was the best move I ever made,” she added.
But that’s not an experience enjoyed by everyone dealing with disability.
“Unfortunately, many people believe wheelchair liveable social housing is not available and therefore don’t apply to their local authorities,” admitted Irish Wheelchair Association’s National Housing Programme Manager Jean Coleman.
“In turn, local authorities don’t build wheelchair liveable housing because they don’t feel the demand is high enough locally.
“Think Ahead Think Housing is Irish Wheelchair Association’s annual housing campaign, to break that cycle and encourage disabled people who need housing to apply to their local authority social housing. Their voices and needs need to be recognised and included,” she added.
Yvonne is realistic about the effort it took at the time for her to get her own home, but she is encouraging and hopeful that there is help available for anyone who wants to live independently.
Yvonne is adamant the rewards are worth all the effort.
“I’ve been living independently since I was 25 and it’s been onwards and upwards since then,” she said.
Yvonne was always a wheelchair user, but she was forced to spend time in the National Rehabilitation Centre after being involved in a car accident.
“At the time when I was in the Rehab, there was great resources over there, there was a social worker who worked on my case as such….she was the one that informed me about what my social welfare entitlements were; the fact that I could put my name down for a house in the first place…… But she gave me all the information and from then on, I realised, well yeah actually I can do this really.”
According to Yvonne the most important part of looking for a home is to get started and look for help.
“The main thing would be to put your name down for a house with Galway City Council, Galway County Council or wherever you are,” she revealed.
“Then definitely I’d look for your Public Health Nurse, speak to your GP, maybe they can offer more advice, but definitely your Public Health Nurse, she might be able to advise you on your medical needs for example, say for your housing needs for example.
“There’s also the Irish Wheelchair Association or whatever association you are attached to. They’d be a great resource.”
Think Ahead Think Housing is highlighting the latest local authority social housing process, which allows people with disabilities to highlight their needs and requirements in their application. In turn this will help local authorities to plan for the accessibility needs of their community into the future.
“Currently in Galway and across the county little or no wheelchair liveable housing available, through private rental or local authorities,” said Jean Coleman.
“We know that in Galway and across Ireland there isn’t an accessible housing shortage, there is a complete absence of any wheelchair liveable housing options for people with disabilities.
“As a result, 1,300 young and middle-aged people with physical disabilities have been forced to live in nursing homes for older people because of the lack of accessible social housing.
“This cannot be the future and there is a lot of work to do locally and nationally for our housing campaign. Think Ahead Think Housing is one of many steps that is needed.”
There has been some success to date for disability campaigners. In 2021 Irish Wheelchair Association was part of a successful campaign to have ‘wheelchair liveable accommodation’ included as an option on social housing application forms.
Before 2021 it has not been possible for a disabled person to include their disability requirements in their local authority application.
Now in 2022, all local authorities have new application forms with options to include and register accessibility needs.
“This was the first step of our housing campaign,” said Jean Coleman.
“Now people can register their needs in their housing applications and local authorities and disability organisations can track the specific needs of people on our social housing waiting lists. At Irish Wheelchair Association we have even more ambitious plans to change Ireland’s out-dated inaccessible building regulations.
“But we need disabled people who want to live independently to contact their local authority, get included and be seen. We can only achieve change together. People with physical disabilities must be included in Ireland’s social housing strategy like never before,” she added.
Yvonne Fahy believes a lot of bravery and hope is needed to get the home and the life you want.
“Look – once you get into your home you get to actually have fun. And it’s only then that you actually relax and just realise that you kinda wonder why you waited so long to do something like this. So yeah, definitely go for it,” she said.
‘Think Ahead, Think Housing’ campaign is working directly with local authorities, the Housing Agency, Irish Council for Social Housing, HSE, Citizen’s Information and Disability Federation of Ireland among others to ensure people with disabilities are included and represented in social housing planning and delivery.
For more info, click HERE
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
