Accessibility in County Cavan

Over the coming weeks we will highlight the improvements that have been made to our council buildings and services for people with disabilities. Universal accessibility to public spaces simply means ensuring access for all people. Our intention is to simplify life for everyone of all ages, sizes and abilities by making our services and facilities usable by all, irrespective of varying degrees of abilities. While it is important to highlight the good work that has been done we acknowledge that there is still a lot of work to do. We will make our public spaces and buildings universally accessible on a phased basis within the resources available. Do you know about our CRAIC Advisory Group? CRAIC stands for 'Creating Reasonable Accommodation in Cavan'. The CRAIC Advisory Group was set up in 2006 to ensure that our services are made accessible to people with disabilities through consultation with Local Disability Groups. Its role is to ensure that local people with all forms of disabilities are central to decision making and have a clear voice in our efforts to deliver universal accessibility. The organisations that are represented on the group are: • Acquired Brain Injury • Irish Wheelchair Association • People with Disabilities in Ireland • Cavan Access Association • National Learning Network • Parkinson Association of Ireland • Adult Education Cavan VEC • National Council for the Blind • The Holy Family Special School • An independent Occupational Therapist • Cavan Monaghan Hearing Impaired Association • The WOW Group - Winners on Wheels • Bailieborough Mental Health Association. Consultation has taken place regarding: • Accessibility Audits • Implementation Plan • Disability Strategy • Expenditure of National Disability Strategy Funding. Do you know about our CRAIC Team? The CRAIC Team is an internal cross-sectional group of key staff established in 2005. The role of the CRAIC Team is to embed universal accessibility into the way that we work. We aim to provide a coordinated approach to the provision of the facilities and services. A member of the Council"s Senior Management Team chairs CRAIC and ensures that the Team focuses on delivery within the framework of our Corporate Plan. Our Access Officer If you have a disability you need to know that our Access Officer is available to help you. Contact our Access Officer with any queries that you might have or assistance you may require in relation to the accessibility of information and services provided by Cavan County Council. Our Access Officer is Emma Breiden and she can be contacted on 049 437 8392 or ebreiden@cavancoco.ie Our Inquiry Officer Our Inquiry Officer is responsible for dealing with complaints made under Section 38 of the Disability Act 2005.  The complaints procedure can be viewed at www.cavancoco.ie Our Inquiry Officer is Angela Reilly and she can contacted on 049 437 8658 or areilly@cavancoco.ie