'Help us' - Kilkenny IWA members stage local protest in bid for emergency supports

Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) members in Kilkenny have staged a protest at their centre, calling on the government to immediately introduce an emergency disability payment of €400.

The protest was part of a national demonstration organised by a Disability Coalition led by the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA), Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI) and 'Access for All' alongside the Affordable Ireland Campaign.

A national protest was held in Dublin on Saturday, February 28 but Kilkenny members who were unable to travel staged their own demonstration at their local centre last Thursday.

Protesters said Budget 2026 left many people with disabilities up to €1,400 worse off following the removal of vital support payments, forcing some into the stark choice between heating their homes and putting food on the table.

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"Having these high bills to pay is holding us back. We need to be encouraged to live our lives… it’s a worry to people with disabilities. If I met a high-up minister or the Taoiseach or Tánaiste I would say help us, don’t hold us back," commented John Grace, an IWA member locally who took part in the protest.

Eimear Phelan, Service Coordinator for the Irish Wheelchair Association Kilkenny, added: "Local IWA members gathered to highlight the need for an Emergency Disability Payment.

"The local IWA advocacy group have been working on this for the past number of weeks, highlighting the issues they are facing, that they’re €1,400 worse off following Budget 26. They have written to local councillors, TDs and ministers, with a very poor response rate, and they feel they’ve been let down.

"Members would like to once again call on the government to introduce this Emergency Disability Payment with immediate effect," Ms Phelan continued.

More to follow...

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