Mayo County Council received an award for commitment to accessibility in the NDA Accessibility Awards in Ballina Civic Offices
- National Disability Authority commends accessibility advances in Public Sector
Mayo County Council received an award from the National Disability Authority (NDA) that recognises the Excellence level achievement reached by Ballina Civic Offices in integrating accessibility into the provision of services to the public. The Excellence through Accessibility (EtA) Awards were held at Department of Education and Skills in Dublin. The integration of accessibility into the design and provision of services enables people with disabilities access to the public services with ease.
Some measures taken in Ballina Civic Offices to meet the standards of the EtA include changes to the approach paths and the external steps. Low counters are now available, along with induction loops and appropriate bathroom facilities. Public terminals have been provided, some with a large-key keyboard and tracker-ball mouse for ease of use. The Ballina pages of the Mayo website have also been designed with accessibility in mind.
In total thirteen awards were presented to public bodies around Ireland. Two awards were made at the “Excellence” level; eight public bodies achieved the ‘Quality’ standard; and two bodies received an award for their commitment to accessibility. This is indicative of public bodies continued commitment to embedding accessibility into the very heart of their operations.
" People with disabilities are not some separate group. People with disabilities are us, our families and our friends. People with disabilities are entitled to be able to access the same public services as everyone else " said Mr. John Moloney, TD, Minister of State with special responsibility for Disability Issues and Mental Health. In presenting the EtA awards, he stressed that " For many public bodies, the EtA awards are a means to an end, not an end in itself. " " You don't do this work to get awards - you do it because it is the right thing to do", he added.
Mr. Peter McKevitt, Chairperson of the NDA said, “ the NDA is working closely with public bodies to support them in achieving a high standard of accessibility. The interest in the award scheme is reflective of the commitment and determination by public sector bodies to ensure people with disabilities can more easily access their services. It is important that the good practices developed through participating in the award scheme are shared with other bodies both in the public and private sector. In this way such organisations will recognise the benefits both for their customers with disabilities and for their services overall .”
