Dublin – Fourteen-year-old disability rights campaigner Cara Darmody has captured national attention with a 50-hour sit-in outside the Dáil, calling for urgent action on the unmet needs of children with disabilities in Ireland. Her protest has sparked a significant political and public response, highlighting what she and her family describe as a “national emergency” in disability services.
Cara’s demonstration aimed to draw attention to systemic failures in conducting timely needs assessments, a legal requirement under the Disability Act 2005. The sit-in, held in front of Leinster House, prompted widespread media coverage and drew support from members of both the government and opposition parties. However, despite cross-party sympathy, concrete solutions remain elusive.
Legal Obligations and Systemic Failures
Under the Disability Act, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is legally obligated to carry out a needs assessment within six months of receiving a request. This assessment is intended to identify the health and educational supports a child may require. However, current HSE data shows that only 7% of children receive this service within the required timeframe.
More than 16,000 children are currently on waiting lists for assessments. That number is projected to exceed 25,000 by the end of 2025. Some children have been waiting up to seven years for an evaluation. Without this initial step, many are unable to access necessary follow-up services, including therapeutic interventions and specialised educational support.
Government Acknowledges System Failure
Minister for Children and Disability, Norma Foley, publicly admitted that the current system is not functioning and described it as a failure. She announced plans to recruit additional psychologists to help reduce the backlog and emphasised the government’s commitment to addressing long-standing inefficiencies.
Taoiseach Simon Harris also acknowledged the failure of the HSE to fulfill its legal obligations. He reiterated the government’s intention to tackle the issue but stopped short of committing to a specific timeline for reform.
Legal and Policy Challenges
The situation has been further complicated by a 2022 High Court ruling which found that abbreviated assessments were insufficient under the Disability Act. The HSE subsequently changed its assessment model in response, but the backlog only worsened.
The government is now considering legislative changes that would shorten the mandated time for conducting assessments. However, opposition parties have pushed back, warning that altering the law to bypass a court ruling sets a troubling precedent. As of now, there is no consensus on how best to proceed.
A Personal Mission: Cara’s Story
Cara Darmody, from Ardfinnan, County Tipperary, has been campaigning for disability rights since the age of 12. Her activism stems from the experiences of her two younger brothers, Neil (12) and John (8), who are both autistic and have faced significant delays and challenges in accessing appropriate services.
Supported by her father, Mark Darmody, Cara has taken her campaign to the highest levels of Irish politics, confronting senior officials and speaking out in national media. Last year, her advocacy led to an additional €10 million being allocated in the national budget for disability services—widely referred to as “Cara’s Fund” by then-Taoiseach Simon Harris.
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