At a press conference today, details of a major protest to demand an emergency disability payment were announced.
This has been called by the Irish Wheelchair Association, the Disability Federation of Ireland and Access for All in conjunction with the Affordable Ireland Campaign.
This the first in a series of events that the Affordable Ireland Campaign is planning to call to highlight the need for urgent action on the cost of living.
The national protest will take place at 1.00pm on Saturday February 28, starting at Parnell Square.
The organisers say they are demanding an immediate €400 payment to disabled people and carers.
This is in response to Budget 2026 which left disabled people €1400 worse off compared to 2025.
At meeting after meeting the groups say they have have sought that the government acknowledge the extreme hardship many disabled people are experiencing but have got nothing in response.
Joan Carty of the Irish Wheelchair Association said
“People with disabilities are already carrying the weight of rising living costs, and winter has placed additional pressure on households that rely on electricity for heating to maintain their health, mobility, and essential equipment.
“An Emergency Payment is not about special treatment, it is about recognising real, unavoidable costs and ensuring people can live with dignity and security.
“We are calling on the Government to act now so that no one is left choosing between basic needs and their wellbeing.”
Disabled activist Maryam Madani who is working alongside Disability Federation of Ireland said:
“The Government has asked disabled people to wait until 2027 for a permanent Cost of Disability payment.
“But the bills don’t pause. By stripping away vital cost-of-living supports, the State has created a dangerous financial gap.
Many disabled households are down up to €1,400 compared to last winter.
“For some, this can be the difference between heating a home and going into debt.
“In a country with a multi-billion euro surplus, forcing disabled people to rely on charity or arrears to survive is a political choice that they can no longer accept.”
Bernard Mulvany of Access for All Ireland said:
“Over the past number of years the cost of living crisis has had a massive impact on the disability and caring community.
“The additional supports offered some relief to households, households that were already under huge financial stress.
“Those supports became embedded in people’s day to day budgets.
“The cliff edge removal of these supports has had a profoundly negative effect on the community and has reinforced the narrative that we just don’t matter.
“We need an immediate intervention from Government to address the huge financial stress that has been forced onto the community and the simple fact is that people with disabilities and carers cannot wait another year for that vital help”
As well as disability advocacy groups the protest is supported by opposition parties, student and trade union groups and a number of NGOs who have come together in the Affordable Ireland Campaign.
Speaking on behalf of Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éireann their President Bryan O Mahony said
“Students stand in solidarity alongside people with disabilities and carers who are being pushed further into financial hardship by the rising cost of living.
“Many students themselves are already struggling with rent, transport and food costs, and we know that students with disabilities face even greater pressures due to additional unavoidable expenses. A fair and compassionate society must ensure that nobody is left behind.
“An Emergency Disability Payment is a necessary step to prevent further hardship!”
Pat Mellon from the from the Irish Senior Citizens Parliament said:
“The rising cost of living is not merely a budgetary challenge for our most vulnerable, it is a direct threat to their dignity and security.
“When the choice narrows to ‘heating or eating’ the most vulnerable are forced into a silence that society can no longer afford to ignore.
“Let us remember the words of Mahatma Gandhi “ the greatness of a nation can be judged by how it treats its weakest member “
The Affordable Ireland Campaign says it is calling on the public to come out and support the just demand for an Emergency Disability Payment.
The government needs to get a strong message that people are struggling with the cost of food, energy, childcare and housing and that it need to act to alleviate costs.