PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 19^TH MAY 2009

Mayor Marie Corr to launch Downloadable Access Guides

South Dublin County Council continues its commitment to improving access and service provision to disabled people in our County Enabling Access Ensuring Equality of Opportunity, with the launch of a new series of informative downloadable access guides by Mayor Maire Corr on Wednesday the 20^th May 2009 in the Big Picture, Unit 5 Talbot House, Tallaght at 10.30am.

Mayor Corr will launch South Dublin County Councils new series of informative downloadable access guides which outline the extensive improvements in the accessibility of public buildings and services across South Dublin County that the Council has achieved over the past 5 years.

This event is also being held to celebrate the first successful year of Enabling Access Ensuring Equality of Opportunity, the South Dublin County Council Disability Act Implementation Plan 2008-2010.

Significant progress has already been achieved over the past year, and indeed over the past 5 years of the National Disability Strategy, in a wide variety of areas including staff training, provision of assistive technologies, provision of automatic access doors to public offices, redesign of public counters, adaptive works to council houses, footpath and traffic signal improvements, accessible signage for people with visual impairments, works to cemeteries, parks and community centres etc.

The access guides, which are being released online via the County portal www.southdublin.ie and specifically http://barcelonadeclaration.southdublin.ie, highlight features that ensure equal access to services for a wide variety of users with varying abilities. From accessible parking bays, automated doors, loop systems at public desks, to adaptable housing, specialist computer software & Braille and tactile signage. South Dublin County Council has implemented a wide range of measures designed to make the County accessible to all.

The key purpose of these guides is to enable disabled people to virtually visit key council buildings and customer services, at a time and place suitable to them, in order to find out how accessible the buildings or services are, in advance of any actual visit.

Today we are showcasing the overall guide that documents the considerable progress made under the Disability Act 2005 in terms of making our buildings and services accessible to all people in our community. The further three guides which focus individually on accessibility of County Hall, Clondalkin Civic Offices and the South Dublin County Libraries Network will be made available online in the coming weeks.

The Access Guides will be available in multiple formats. Content will be provided as accessible text documents, mp3 audio and video with closed captions. This approach of offering the content in various formats is in line with National Disability Authority guidelines for delivery of multimedia content and will itself make the content more accessible to a wide variety of users.

Guest speaker on the day will be Dr. Gerard Craddock, Director of the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design. The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (CEUD) was established by the National Disability Authority (NDA) in January 2007 under the Disability Act 2005. The Centre is dedicated to the principle of universal access, enabling people in Ireland to participate in a society that takes account of human difference and to interact with their environment to the best of their ability.

South Dublin County Council will continue to implement the provisions of the Disability Act 2005 by creating an enabling environment underpinned by the principle of universal access. We look forward to continued work, in co-operation with our citizens, customers and the many agencies working in the County, to achieve our vision of achieving equality of opportunity and equality of outcome for disabled people in South Dublin County and removing the barriers that create disability and exclusion.

For information:

Selina Bonnie, Disability Liaison / Access Officer, Corporate Services Department, South Dublin County Council

087 2708918 / 01 4149041 ext 9041 / sbonnie@sdublincoco.ie

ENDS

ISSUED 19^TH MAY 2009

* The Big Picture is wheelchair accessible and is located at the Red Line Luas Terminus. Sign language interpretation will be provided at the event.