The first Irish study of disabled political candidates has identified financial costs and difficulty canvassing as among the many systemic barriers for those wishing to take part in politics.
Other difficulties identified by the research include inaccessibility of the built environment, negative attitudes, lack of support and fear of violence.
About 1.1 million people – or 22 per cent of the population – reported having a long-lasting condition/difficulty or disability to any extent in the most recent census.
The research focused on the experiences of a number of disabled candidates who stood in the Irish local and European elections last year.
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It was conducted by researchers in University of Galway and Trinity College Dublin and was funded under the National Disability Authority research promotion scheme.
The research involved in-depth interviews with seven disabled political candidates with intersecting identities and representatives from eight organisations representing migrant, LGBTQ+ and Traveller communities, disabled people’s organisations and education and training organisations.
Disclosure of a disability was a key consideration, particularly those with invisible disability, when standing for election, the research found. The lack of representation of particular communities in politics was also of concern to those interviewed.
The report recommended that political parties must consider the need for greater diversity when proposing candidates for election and for co-option, including disability and other identities.
Civil society organisations should be funded and supported to establish and run regular training and mentoring for disabled people, including those with intersecting identities who want to explore the idea of putting themselves forward for elected office, it said.
Professor Eilionóir Flynn, of the centre for disability law and policy at University of Galway, said as people from more diverse backgrounds started to pursue careers in elected politics it was “essential to ensure that a wide range of disabled people, including working-class disabled people, LGBTQ+ disabled people, disabled Travellers, disabled women and disabled people from ethnic minorities, have accessible pathways into political life”.
“Our research demonstrates the barriers these communities face and the action needed to increase the diversity of our elected representatives,” she said.
Dr Vivian Rath, from Trinity College Dublin’s school of education, said the research represented “a starting point” in understanding the experiences of disabled election candidates.
“The limited number of participants in the study reflects the lack of disabled people standing for election in Ireland, and the even lower number of candidates with intersecting identities,” he said.
“Despite this, the candidates’ perspectives, combined with the reflections of the participating organisations, paints a clear picture of the pathways to political life.
“Ireland’s commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities requires not just acknowledging barriers but actively dismantling them. This report offers a roadmap for change.”
