Kilkenny councillors back motion for accessible parking spaces for people with Hidden Disabilities

A motion to support and develop parking spaces for those with Hidden Disabilities has been unanimously adopted by Kilkenny County Council. The motion was drafted by Green Party Cllr Maria Dollard and supported by Cllr Denis Hynes and Cllr Mary Hilda Cavanagh. The proposal is to develop Hidden Disability courtesy spaces for those with conditions that require special accommodation when accessing services in the community. These spaces are internationally recognisable and designated by a sunflower on a green background. They have already been provided by Local Authorities, in other counties like Waterford, Westmeath and Cork.

Cllr Dollard, who was appointed last year to the National Disability Inclusion Strategy Implementation Group by Minister Anne Rabbitte said “As a local authority we have a responsibility to support people in our community with all kinds of disabilities and people with hidden disabilities are particularly excluded due to the invisibility of some conditions like learning disability, autism, adhd and chronic pain conditions” 

The motion was developed in response to representations to Cllrs Dollard, Denis Hynes and Mary Hilda Cavangh from people not entitled to access ‘blue badge’ parking spaces but nevertheless requiring additional support to access many services in the community.

“Children and adults with autism, chronic pain conditions or children or adult family member with learning disabilities, all know how difficult it can be to access the community and how helpful a simple thing like a nearby car parking space is. When our daughter Lucy was younger she frequently ran away from me suddenly due to excitement or extreme anxiety. The nearer we were to our destination the safer it was and it was so difficult to do even simple things in the local community. This is no longer an issue but at Christmas, we used the ‘autism friendly’ space in a shopping centre as she can find shopping at Christmas particularly difficult because of sensory processing difficulties and popular seasonal tunes she struggles to cope with. The rest of the year we would not need that space but its great to know that we don’t have to drive around the car park as she gets more and more anxious and worked up before we even get out of the car. Chronic pain conditions can flare up from time to time and make life difficult for many people as well. The provision of these spaces is all about making life a little bit easier and more comfortable for people.”

Cllr Dollard said, “People interested in seeing these spaces developed should contact Cllr Dollard or any Cllr and let them know where they would like to see these spaces and we will examine how it can be done”