NDA Submission to Ireland’s Independent COVID-19 Evaluation – stakeholder / organisation submission on the impacts of the management of the pandemic in Ireland.
August 2025
Introduction
The National Disability Authority (NDA) is the independent statutory body with a duty to provide evidence-informed advice and guidance to government on disability policy and practice and to promote the adoption and application of a Universal Design approach across all sectors. The NDA welcomes this opportunity to provide a submission to Ireland’s Independent COVID-19 Evaluation.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on disabled people in Ireland and worldwide. There have been high numbers of COVID-19 clusters in residential care facilities, and high rates of mortality in some centres, particularly nursing homes. Disabled people have also been adversely affected by the closure of schools, the temporary suspension of services, such as respite, and the reduction of others, such as home support and adult day services.
Additionally, the NDA recognises that, beyond specialist services, disabled people also experienced challenges in their daily lives. In the employment context, large numbers of disabled people worked in sectors adversely affected by COVID-19. Changes to transport schemes and out-door built environment in the post-lockdown context had adverse consequences for disabled people requiring access to these public services to go about their daily lives.
We advise that any future guidance in responding to events such as a pandemic would be aligned with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), and in particular Article 11 which obliges states to take all necessary steps to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters[1].
Overarching considerations
Impact on educational supports
The closing of schools because of the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on children with disabilities and their families. Stakeholders the NDA spoke to in June 2020 indicated that a high proportion of the families who were feeling overwhelmed because of home-schooling during the lockdown were families of children with disabilities. Principals, teachers and Special Needs Assistants provided learning materials and carried out live and recorded Zoom classes with many students, individually and as small class groups. While supports were developed by the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), many families struggled due to a lack of appropriate resources and guidance[2].
The Office for the Ombudsman for Children urged the Government to avoid a blanket closure of schools, pointing to the disproportionately negative effect that school closures have on children with disabilities and children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Department of Education sought to maintain in-person teaching for students in special schools[3]. However, efforts by the Department to reach agreement with teachers’ representatives regarding the opening of special schools were not successful. A planned re-opening of special schools in late January 2021 was also deferred. The Minister for Education described Ireland as “an outlier in the European Union” due to the absence of in-person teaching for students with special educational needs. A phased reopening of schools began on 11th February 2021 and children in special schools were the first to return[4].
Impact on employment
There are many barriers to entry and retention in the labour market for disabled people. Consequently, the labour market participation rate of disabled people in Ireland (49.3%) is low compared to the participation rates for those without disabilities (70.8%)[5]. A study by the Economic and Social Research Institute, funded by the NDA and undertaken in partnership, examined the labour market impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals with disabilities. The study found thatpeople with disabilities experienced a slight increase in unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic but have not seen the same recovery as those without disabilities. This is particularly the case for people with an intellectual disability. The study demonstrates the importance of targeted policies for supporting people with disabilities in employment to retain that employment in times of crisis[6].
The widespread move to remote working in place during the pandemic meant that more people with disabilities could be facilitated to work. However, an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report, funded by and developed in collaboration with the NDA, points out that disabled people are more likely to work in jobs that are not conducive to remote working and that a high proportion work in jobs in retail and services sectors that were heavily impacted by the pandemic[7]. It is important to consider that as we embrace remote work, it is not used by employers to avoid introducing adequate accommodations in the workplace for disabled people.
Impact on health services
Health care is especially important for persons with a disability. During the pandemic it was necessary to prioritise care for patients with COVID-19. This resulted in the suspension and cancellation of patient care and screening for many illnesses and the build-up of waiting lists.
As health services adapted to the social distancing requirements, they moved to online or telephone consultations, which may not always have been accessible to people with disabilities, for example telephone consultations are unsuitable for people who are hard of hearing and others with communication difficulties[8]. Going forward we must ensure that any advances in digital health services are accessible to all.
Impact on specialist disability services
Residential
Residential centres for disabled people, such as congregated settings and group homes were particularly vulnerable to the spread of the COVID-19 infection. Residential services reduced community-based activities, residents were encouraged to cocoon, and visiting was suspended. Some services set up COVID-19 units and residents who contracted the disease were moved there to isolate. The nature of these settings, with shared facilities and rotating staff, made infection control challenging. Additionally, the pandemic presented challenges for providers such as staff absences due to illness and access to personal protective equipment.
Residential services supported and facilitated disabled people to use mobile technologies such as tablets and smartphones which enabled them to maintain contact with their families and friends. The crisis emphasised the importance of progressing the national policy, ‘Time to move from Congregated Settings, A Strategy for Community Inclusion’, to support people to live in smaller community-based settings.
Adult Day Services
Disability day services were severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic[9]. During the first lockdown, apart from a few exceptions, day services closed[10]. Some providers offered remote supports, such as daily telephone or video calls, distribution of relevant activity-packs and by conducting one-to-one socially distanced wellbeing walks and online classes. However, many of the people supported experienced a loss of routine, isolation and regression in skills. The disruption particularly affected people living with older carers who were ‘cocooning’ or in households where people were working from home [11].
To support the reopening of Day Services, the HSE launched the ‘Framework for the Resumption of Adult Disability Day Services’ in early July 2020. In October 2020, the HSE published the ‘Guidance to Support the Framework for the Resumption of Adult Disability Day Services’.
Feedback in June 2020 from adult day service providers suggested that some individuals and some families really struggled during the COVID-19 lockdown. While technology and developing innovative means of supporting people who attend day services remotely had helped, there was a concern that some people had very limited social engagement over the lockdown period and may have lost skills which they had developed but hadn’t had an opportunity to use during the lockdown, such as using public transport independently.
School Leavers
The process of transitioning people from school to day services was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The School Leaver Profiling Process for 2019-2020 was completed for most people and funding allocated prior to the lockdown. However, there were a small number of school leavers who were unable to be profiled, because the profiling process required face-to-face interviews, which were impossible due to COVID-19 restrictions. To address the delay in completing the last of the profiles and also to provide funding for the coming 2020-2021 process, the HSE developed guidance and training to allow for remote profiling using the Attend Anywhere platform12.
Home Support, Personal Assistance and Respite
The majority of disabled people do not reside in specialist disability settings, but rather live in their own homes in the community, either individually, or with their families. Many of those living alone or with their families access social care supports to live independently, either in the form of personal assistant hours or a homecare support package.
People who accessed home support or personal assistance services experienced significant disruptions. Supports were either withdrawn or reduced due to staff redeployment to residential care settings or public health restrictions. Additionally, a proportion of people opted to halt their support because of the risk to their health, or because a family member was now available to support them.
The HSE developed a contingency plan for home support services which outlined different approaches to support people to remain in their own homes under different scenarios during the COVID-19 pandemic. The HSE developed guidance for alternative models of care, which included online support to family carers, one-to-one online support, face-to-face services, greater use of community supports, and technology[12].
Respite
The social distancing requirements in place during the pandemic meant that many disability services stopped providing respite services. This suspension intensified the existing unmet need, as many families already faced long waiting lists. The absence of respite at this time placed additional pressure on informal carers often leading to stress and burnout[13].
Child therapy services
While in the initial phases of the outbreak, many HSE health and social care professionals (HSCPs) were redeployed to COVID-19-related work, some HSCPs in HSE funded service providers continued to provide therapies for children with disabilities using video conferencing. From speaking with stakeholders in June 2020, the NDA understood that for some people, the experience was positive, though this may be influenced by certain factors such as the age of the child, the child’s needs or the type of therapy received. While pre-COVID, the HSE had developed e-Mental Health initiatives such as CAMHS Connects, there had been no such developments in relation to disability services13.
Impact on carers and families
Carers and families experienced increased levels of stress and anxiety during the pandemic. At the start of the first lockdown the principal problems reported related to sourcing incontinence pads and personal protective equipment. Carers do not necessarily live with the person they care for, and some carers decided to live with the person to help limit their social contacts and reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19 for the person they support[14]. A survey carried out by Family Carers Ireland which received over 1,300 responses, found that 60% of family carers were worried about a decline in their own mental health and wellbeing. In addition, carers and families expressed concerns about the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on those they are caring for, including social isolation and fears that normal services would not be reinstated after the crisis[15].
The closure of day services for persons with a disability, a reduction or cancellation of homecare services and the closure of respite services impacted carers[16]. Their daily caring responsibilities increased. Increased financial stress was an additional problem. Carers who were also in paid employment may have given up their jobs to protect the person they cared for, but were not entitled to the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment.
Impact of the built environment
Reconfiguration of outdoor spaces
At the time of its publication, the NDA raised concerns regarding the Interim Mobility Intervention Programmes as they included alterations to streetscapes to provide more space to support the social distancing requirements in place at that time, which required adjustments to outdoor spaces, transport routes and infrastructure.
The NDA’s concern at the time was that these programmes were being developed without consultation with people with disabilities and older persons. While many of the initiatives did help to make outdoor spaces more accessible for disabled people, not all of the changes to our streetscapes have been of benefit. For instance, providing space for al fresco on-street dining or poorly positioned public seating can make it more difficult for disabled people to negotiate streetscapes. While we acknowledge that such interventions were developed as ‘interim’ solutions, they have since become the default. This underlines the importance of designing such solutions correctly from the outset, informed by engagement with those likely to be most impacted.
Impact on public sanitation
During the pandemic many public toilets were closed. Access to public facilities is a critical part of enabling disabled people to go about their daily lives in public. The pandemic highlighted the need for universally designed public toilets[17].
Impact on sport and exercise
The pandemic caused widespread disruption in sporting and physical activities. It forced the closure of gyms and swimming pools for long periods and resulted in the cancellation of group training sessions and very many sporting events.
Sport Ireland established a specific Disability Sport Working Group to identify and quantify the financial and sporting challenges for organisations working with people with a disability. In recognition of the disproportionate impact COVID-19 has had on disabled people, Sport Ireland ring-fenced a proportion of Government Support funding to directly target the disability sport sector. This funding enabled the development and expansion of various initiatives.
The pandemic resulted in many sporting organisations adapting their model of delivery from in-person to remote and developing a range of online resources. For instance, some initiatives were moved online such as the May Fest organised by Vision Sport Ireland and the Fit for All week an initiative coordinated by CARA[18] in partnership with Local Sports Partnerships. Special Olympics supported athletes to move online and MS Ireland launched Move Smart MS to support movement.
Impact on social and community life
Disabled people experienced isolation during the pandemic. A study conducted by IDS-TILDA examined the impact of COVID-19 on people ageing with an Intellectual Disability in Ireland[19]. Over half (55%) of participants indicated they felt stress or anxiety due to the pandemic. The most common reasons for stress or anxiety were not being able to do their usual activities, followed by being unable to see friends/family, loneliness and isolation, and fear of contracting COVID-19[20]. Other research found that, like the IDS-TILDA data, as services and employment ceased, participants expressed feelings of loneliness and isolation[21]. Participants missed meeting their family/friends, leaving the house, studying and going on holidays.
During the pandemic the Government of Ireland in conjunction with the HSE and Healthy Ireland launched an online campaign “In this Together” where the emphasis was placed on supporting people by providing information on how to look after one another during the pandemic. In addition, initiatives like Community Call, Keep well and An Post’s community services provided support, and Food Cloud and the Community Foundation of Ireland provided support for food and digital access. In addition, technology played a key role throughout the pandemic, predominantly by helping people stay connected while maintaining physical distancing. However, those without access to digital technology may have been unable to avail of these innovations and disabled people can be more at risk of digital poverty and exclusion[22].
Lessons learned
The NDA recognises the unprecedented challenging circumstances faced by all during the pandemic. However, disabled people in Ireland were disproportionately negatively impacted by the pandemic. The NDA shares a number of lessons learned that may be useful for the COVID-19 evaluation team.
Continued implementation of the UNCRPD
The majority of issues that affected many disabled people throughout the pandemic are issues that disabled people have struggled with in an ongoing way for decades[23]. These include difficulties accessing independent living supports, the digital divide, and exclusion from society. Therefore, in preparing for government responses to mitigate the disproportionate impact of future pandemics and other crises, the NDA advises that work continues to progressively realise the economic, social and cultural rights of disabled people as per the UNCRPD and to build a society where disabled people have choice in where to live and how to live.
The need for more supports for independent living coupled with the increased infection control risk in congregated settings points clearly to the need to fully implement the ‘Time to move from Congregated Settings strategy. While this strategy is particular to specialist disability services there is a similar need for decongregation in mental health settings (particularly 24 hour supervised residence) and to examine the growth in the size of residential care settings for older people. Our guidance Improving Quality of Life and Enhancing COVID-19 Infection Control in Existing Residential Care Settings for Older People also points to the benefits of reconfiguring the layout of larger settings to create smaller, distinct, and more independent units.
Disability inclusive preparedness and response
The NDA notes that in the immediate emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of infection control measures were implemented without due consultation with the public. This highlights the need for mechanisms to be put in place to rapidly engage disabled people in planning and decision making. Disabled People’s Organisations (DPO’s)[24] are well placed to do this but need to be adequately supported[25]. The NDA guidelines ‘Participation Matters: Guidelines on implementing the obligation to meaningfully engage with disabled people in public decision making’ are a practical resource to support public officials at national and local level to meaningfully consult with and actively involve disabled people and their representative organisations in policy development and other decision making processes to meet obligations set out under the UNCRPD.
Accessible information and communications
The use of Irish Sign Language at daily broadcasts on the Covid-19 pandemic was effective in sharing information during the pandemic with the Deaf community. This has provided a foundation to build on and continue to develop more mainstream accessible communications. The NDA’s Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (CEUD) has co-published guidance on accessible communications with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) ‘Customer Communications Toolkit for the Public Service — A Universal Design Approach’. During the pandemic an extra chapter was added on accessible online meetings.
A Universal design approach to housing and long-term residential care settings
The pandemic demonstrated how congregated settings are conducive to spreading infections and work should continue on moving people out of congregated settings. A universal design approach should be taken to designing mainstream housing in a way that supports disabled people and older persons to remain in their homes, which would in turn reduce the number of people living in residential settings and reduce their risk during a pandemic. The CEUD has published Universal Design Guidelines for Homes in Ireland, which set out how to design accessible and adaptable housing that is future-proofed for ageing and disability.
In addition, the design of long-term residential care settings can be improved. The CEUD has published research and design guidance on improving quality of life and enhancing COVID-19 infection control in existing residential care settings for older people. The guidelines focus on how the built environment in settings can be adapted or retrofitted to:
- enhance the quality of life for residents,
- improve the visitor experience for friends and family members (without compromising the quality of life for residents); and,
- improve pandemic preparedness and resilience while still protecting the psychosocial health and well-being of residents.
NDA notes the importance of using research and listening to relevant experts to inform infection control strategies during a pandemic. For example, research carried out by the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) highlighted that airborne transmission was one of the main infection routes for COVID-19. This underscored the critical role of air quality and ventilation for infection control, this insight was fundamental in informing the underpinning research report that shaped our guidelines on residential care setting for older people. A Universal Design Approach to e-health.
E-health, the use of electronic systems to support health care delivery became increasingly important over the course of the pandemic. The e-health components of telecare and telehealth saw particular growth as face-to-face consultations were curtailed. As these continue to be used, developed and embedded, the NDA advises that these services should be designed in accordance with Universal Design principles. Previous work by the NDA on effective implementation and monitoring of telehealth and telecare in Ireland may be of interest to the evaluation team.
The EU Web Accessibility Directive, which came into force in September 2020, requires EU Member States to ensure that the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies are fully accessible to persons with disabilities and comply with the harmonised standard EN 310 549 (v3.2.1). The provision of information or services by public bodies including through telecare and telehealth all need to comply with this Directive.
A Universal Design approach to education
There is no doubt that the area of education was particularly impacted by the pandemic. We learned that to support students with disabilities in such situations, we need to have an approach that is inclusive of the range of needs of students. The NDA advises a Universal Design in Education approach may be usefully applied to considerations for how education programmes could be delivered in the event of another pandemic so that the content and delivery mechanisms (including technology and Assistive Technology) are accessible, understandable and useable for all students.
Cross community collaboration to promote wellbeing and social connections
The pandemic had a negative impact on people’s mental health and wellbeing. We learned that collaboration between community organisations and alternative forms of engagement such as online, was very valuable in supporting people. The importance of cross community collaboration was evident, as local, voluntary and community organisations rapidly came together and worked collaboratively to support people. This provides learning which can be used to craft society-wide responses to other emergency situations.
Impact of the built environment
While outdoor dining created valuable opportunities for social interaction during the pandemic, the wider impacts were not fully considered. In particular, a lack of disability impact assessments on changes to the streetscape led to challenges for disabled people, including obstructions from street furniture and the removal of accessible parking spaces. Future initiatives should ensure that disability impact assessments are carried out in advance to prevent barriers and to support inclusive use of public spaces. The NDA advises that a universal design approach is taken to any future street design and that the views of disabled people are sought and considered.
Accessible technological responses
The main legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic is the increased use of technology and the expansion of online resources and services across most sectors. This transition can bring immense benefits for disabled people in the areas of employment, education and health.
As society continues to embrace more digital technology, we need to ensure that it is accessible to all. In line with this, Connecting Government 2030: A Digital and ICT Strategy for Ireland’s Public Service sets out a “user first” approach. Applying universal design would strengthen this objective, by enhancing the accessibility of Government digital services and making alternative formats available if required. Ultimately, we must ensure that the expanded use of digital services is inclusive and doesn’t become another barrier to disabled people to participate.
Language
During the COVID-19 pandemic, disabled people were categorised as vulnerable. While some disabled people were at greater risk of severe complications arising from COVID-19, such as those with underlying health issues, many disabled people were at no greater risk than the general population. The NDA advises that it is important not to depict disabled people as inherently vulnerable. People with disabilities become vulnerable because of the disabling barriers in society, rather than because of an individual’s ‘impairment’. There is more information in the NDA’s Advice paper on Disability Language and Terminology.
Advance planning
The COVID-19 experience underscored the need for advance planning, such as in healthcare. During the pandemic some people were severely affected, losing decision-making capacity and the ability to express their will and preferences with regard to healthcare interventions such as ventilation. This experience demonstrates the importance of advance planning which would have enabled individuals to record their healthcare preferences, including treatment approaches, surgery, medicines and resuscitation in advance. The introduction of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 (as amended) provides two tools to support advance planning going forward; the Enduring Powers of Attorney (EPA) and the Advance Healthcare Directives (AHDs).
Conclusion
We hope that the lessons learned across a range of sectors, as noted above are useful to inform Ireland’s Independent COVID-19 Evaluation. We are happy to discuss any of these issues further should this be useful to the evaluation team.
[1] The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD Committee) is currently working on a General Comment concerning Article 11 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The aim of the General Comment will be to clarify the obligations on State parties, including Ireland, under Article 11 and provide recommendations on measures they should adopt to ensure full compliance with that provision.
[2] National Disability Authority (2020) NDA’s submission to the Oireachtas Special Committee on Covid-19 Response on the impact of COVID-19 on persons with disabilities and the disability sector, available at: https://nda.ie/publications/nda-submission-to-the-oireachtas-special-committee-on-covid-19-on-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-persons-with-disabilities-and-the-disability-sector
[3] Office for the Ombudsman for Children (2021) A statement by the Ombudsman for Children on possible closure of schools, available at: https://www.oco.ie/news/a-statement-by-the-ombudsman-for-children-on-possible-closure-of-schools/
[4] National Disability Authority (2021) Lockdowns Unlock Innovation. Review of innovations and adaptations affecting persons with disabilities arising from COVID-19 restrictions, available at: https://nda.ie/publications/lockdowns-unlock-innovations-report
[5] National Disability Authority (2024). Employment and Disability Factsheet (November 2024 – based on Census 2022), available at: https://nda.ie/publications/nda-factsheet-2-employment
[6] Kelly, E., and Maître, B. (2025) The labour market impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals with disabilities: The case of Ireland, ESRI Working Paper 805, available at:https://www.esri.ie/publications/the-labour-market-impact-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-individuals-with-disabilities-the#:~:text=Using%20OLS%20and%20propensity%20score,more%20likely%20to%20be%20unemployed.
[7] Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2021), Disability, Work and Inclusion in Ireland: Engaging and Supporting Employers, OECD Publishing, Paris, available: https://doi.org/10.1787/74b45baa-en
[8] National Disability Authority (2021) Lockdowns Unlock Innovation. Review of innovations and adaptations affecting persons with disabilities arising from COVID-19 restrictions, available at: https://nda.ie/publications/lockdowns-unlock-innovations-report
[9] Laura Doyle (2021) ‘All in this together?’ A commentary on the impact of COVID-19 on disability day services in Ireland, Disability & Society, 36:9, 1538-1542, DOI: 10.1080/09687599.2021.1935215
[10] Inclusion Ireland (2020) COVID-19 and the impact of the Closure of day services on People with intellectual disabilities, available at: https://inclusionireland.ie/sites/default/files/attach/basic-page/1655/day-services-final.pdf
[11] National Disability Authority (2020) NDA’s submission to the Oireachtas Special Committee on Covid-19 Response on the impact of COVID-19 on persons with disabilities and the disability sector, available at:https://nda.ie/publications/nda-submission-to-the-oireachtas-special-committee-on-covid-19-on-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-persons-with-disabilities-and-the-disability-sector
[12] National Disability Authority (2020) NDA’s submission to the Oireachtas Special Committee on Covid-19 Response on the impact of COVID-19 on persons with disabilities and the disability sector, available at:https://nda.ie/publications/nda-submission-to-the-oireachtas-special-committee-on-covid-19-on-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-persons-with-disabilities-and-the-disability-sector
[13] National Disability Authority (2021) Lockdowns Unlock Innovation. Review of innovations and adaptations affecting persons with disabilities arising from COVID-19 restrictions, available at: https://nda.ie/publications/lockdowns-unlock-innovations-report
[14] Care Alliance Ireland (2020) COVID-19 and the Impact on Family Carers, available at: https://www.carealliance.ie/userfiles/files/C19_FC_Research_Overview_V1_Sept2020.pdf
[15] Family Carers (2020) The State of Caring 2020, available at: https://familycarers.ie/media/2022/family-carers-ireland-state-of-caring-2020.pdf
[17] National Disability Authority (2020) NDA’s submission to the Oireachtas Special Committee on Covid-19 Response on the impact of COVID-19 on persons with disabilities and the disability sector, available at:https://nda.ie/publications/nda-submission-to-the-oireachtas-special-committee-on-covid-19-on-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-persons-with-disabilities-and-the-disability-sector
[18] Now called Active Disability Ireland
[19] The IDS-TILDA is the first longitudinal study researching ageing in Ireland with people over 40 years old who have an Intellectual Disability. Data is collected and released in different tranches with wave 4 data currently being analysed. The pandemic began while data collection for wave 4 was ongoing and a questionnaire relating to COVID-19 was added and administered. This questionnaire sought to ascertain the effects of COVID-19 on this cohort
[20] McCarron, M., McCausland, D., Allen, et.al., (2020) The Impact of COVID-19 on People Ageing with an Intellectual Disability in Ireland. Dublin, Ireland: Trinity College Dublin.
[21] Murphy, T., Turley, M. and Byrne, C. (2020) The Experiences of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities in Ireland During the COVID-19 Crisis, available at: https://www.tudublin.ie/media/website/news/2020/homepage/Covid-disability-report-september-2020.pdf
[22] National Disability Authority (2021) Lockdowns Unlock Innovation. Review of innovations and adaptations affecting persons with disabilities arising from COVID-19 restrictions, available at: https://nda.ie/publications/lockdowns-unlock-innovations-report#:~:text=The%20report%2C%20developed%20during%202021,may%20endure%20post%20COVID%2D19.
[23] National Disability Authority (2021) Summary of the Consultation ‘Building Back Better: The Post COVID-19 World For Persons With Disabilities’, available at: https://nda.ie/publications/nda-listening-session-2021-building-back-better-post-covid-19
[24] DPOs are civil society (third sector) organisations of disabled people as distinct from disability charities and other disability organisations for disabled people
[25] NDA (2021) A review of Disabled Persons Organisations (DPOs) and their participation in implementing and monitoring the UNCRPD, available at: https://nda.ie/publications/a-review-of-disabled-persons-organisations-and-their-participation-in-implementing-and-monitoring-uncrpd