Editorial

Near FM, probably the country's best established community radio station, covering Northside Dublin, today interviewed Changing Ireland editor Allen Meagher. You can listen back to the show here.

Why can’t people in wheelchairs or who are almost immobile go to the gym? Answer: They can, as the No Barriers Foundation in Letterkenny has proven. The cost – a tenth of what private providers would likely charge. A radical transformation would unfold if the Government and wider society embraced the rights based model of disability, argues Allen Meagher in his editorial. Our spring edition highlights three rights-based projects that show how change happens when we remove barriers to disability. Meagher also talks about the value of social enterprises. He points to volunteers filling gaps when it comes to food poverty. And he asks – what else should we be doing about Israel’s genocidal attacks on Palestine?

Community workers – often indirectly funded by the State - are perversely being offered better pay in other areas funded by government. The situation is urgent. It is the most talked about issue of the day and that’s saying something.