Barcelona Declaration Project

Monaghan County Council

Presentation to Closing Conference of Barcelona Declaration Project

19th April 2004by

Siofra Kilcullen, Community and Enterprise Development Officer

Barcelona Declaration Project

Establishing a baseline for Impact

Assessment

County Monaghan

Barcelona Declaration in Monaghan

• Endorsement of Barcelona Declaration by five Town Councils and County Council in July 2002

• Underlying objective ‘to promote more favourable conditions for the full development of persons, avoiding or removing all causes that prevent such development’

Monaghan Context

• 8% pop. with disability (CSO 2002)• Strong community infrastructure -

62 voluntary disability groups• Network of Disability Groups

established to address policy issues

• Social Inclusion Measures Group• July 2003 – Pilot Action

Aims of Monaghan Pilot Action

• Develop a consultative process using an audit of council’s projects and actions as a basis for this process

• Develop a model of good practice for local authorities involving people with disabilities and disability advocates

Steps in process1. Establish a multi-sectoral audit

team2. Train team3. Agree thematic priorities that

should be included in audit4. Establish multi- sectoral sub-

groups to examine each theme5. Make recommendations based on

output from audit i.e. action plan6. Put in place on-going monitoring

mechanism7. Continually assess the

implementation of action plan

Multi-sectoral audit team

Elected Members

(Town and County reps)

LocalAuthority

Staff

AdvocatesPWD

Network

Monaghan Team members• Officials

Carmel Thornton, Corporate Affairs

Joan Ryan, Workplace Partnership

Maire Cullinan, Planning

Roisin Nic An Iarla, Roads

Ann Murray Housing

Paul Clarke, Building Control

Geraldine Murphy, Personnel

Siofra Kilcullen, Community & Enterprise

Lisa Mc Bride, IS

Jonathon Kelly, Website

• Advocates & PWD & Network

Mary Mc Kenna, DFI

Fiona Hoey, MS

Joe Lynch, Disability Network

Karon Edmondson, NEHB

James Doorly DFIMalachy Marron, Steadfast HouseAnn Mc Farland, NTDICathriona Mc Kee, Service UserVictoria Groom, SESRegina Tinnelly, Mon Partnership

• CllrsPatsy Treanor MCC Sheila Mc Kenna, MCCSean Conlon, Monaghan TC Pat Treanor, Clones TCRosaleen O Hanlon, MCCMatt Carty, Carrickmacross TCGary Carville, Castleblayney TC

Role of group members• Officials

– to ensure all information regarding policy and procedures are made available to team

• Advocates and PWD – to highlight issues affecting PWD in

Monaghan and to feedback to the Disability Network

• Elected Members – maintain profile of issues in local media

and at local council level and ensure ring fencing of budgets for accessibility etc

• All – identify, collate and develop

recommendations based on audit

Four stages in audit process

• Data identification • Data Collection• Analysis of results• Recommendations/ action plan

Data Identification : Thematic priorities for audit

• Housing and Accommodation• Roads Transport and Mobility• Planning and the Physical Environment• Employment and Recruitment Practices• Building Control and Access to

Buildings• Communications and IT• Corporate Policy

Data Identification: Audit questions under each thematic priority

• What is the current position?• What measures are put in place to

address access issues?• How are project/policies disability

proofed?• Who is responsible for decision making?• What measures are in place to ensure

participation of people with disabilities in decision making?

• What awareness raising measures are being undertaken?

Data collection process

• Multi-sectoral subgroups established involving PWD, Advocates, Cllrs and Staff

• Desk Research – Directory of Services

• Basic training in research methods• Interviews conducted with relevant

personnel • Disability Network participated in

focus group on ‘communications with Local Authority’

Data Collection Process

• Existing Council policy presented to group e.g. Housing Strategy, Road Traffic Management Guidelines, County Development Plan

• Interviews with builders and designers Website test group

• Access surveys conducted by Disability Federation of Ireland in all towns in County

Data Analysis and Recommendations

• Series of workshops on output from audit to decide actions

• On-going process as new policies emerge

• Action Plan currently being finalized

• Many sections of local authority have already integrated recommendations into policies and procedures

Measures taken to date

• Website is in process of being adapted

• Consultative seminars on voluntary housing

• Consultation in relation to County Development Plan

• Roads section undertaking a number of actions (more details later)

• Including requirement to demonstrate universal access in Design Briefs issued to contractors

Measures taken to date

• Linkages established between human resource section of the local authority, NTDI and Supported Employment Service

• Integration of a disability proofing template in assessment process for allocation of funding under PEACE II Taskforce

• Customer care plan produced in braille, audio-visual and electronic formats

Roads Section prior to project

• Lack of Awareness of PWD Needs• Absence of complete Guidelines• No emphasis placed on catering for PWDs• Roads Engineers based in 6 different Offices, all

with different experiences and background knowledge

• Lack of Co-Ordination

Prior to This…..

Dropped Kerbs Uncommon in Rural Villages

Prior to This…..

Pedestrian Facilities Often Inadequate

-Unsuitable Width

-Unsuitable Locations

-Often completely overlooked

Roads Department

Barcelona Project….• Built on Publication of Traffic

Management Guidelines • Increased Awareness of Issues

affecting PWD• Raised Design Issues• Encouraged co-ordinated and

consistent design standards

Roads Department

Roads Department are now…

• Taking into account surveys conducted by Monaghan Barcelona Project Working Group

• Reviewing existing facilities• Upgrading existing facilities where appropriate• Considering facilities in new scheme design

(eg – Monaghan Town Pay Parking Scheme)• Receiving first-hand feedback from PWD about

existing facilities

Roads DepartmentOne Example – Disabled Parking Space, Citizens

Advice Bureau, Monaghan Town

- Existing Parking Bay Enlarged to comply with Building For Everyone Guidelines- Dropped Kerb provided for entire length of Parking Bay: Above Guideline Specifications- High Visibility Signage provided

IS Department – Barcelona Declaration Project: OLD WEBSITE

• The navagation system used picture/icons to convey hyperlinks.

• High level links not available on every page.

• Hyperlinks are not standard colour and are not descriptive.

• Background is dark and text is not always easily legible.

Housing Section

• Organisation of information sharing seminars

• Improved identification of housing need for PWD

• Interagency and intersectoral co-operation

IS Department – Barcelona Declaration Project:NEW WEBSITE

Site Contrast • The new site

has a standard white background and contrasting dark coloured text for general content.

Final Steps in development of Action Plan

Integration of Indicators Present to the County Council

and five Town Councils of draft Action Plan

Public Consultation Approval of final plan

Added Value of conducting pilot action

• Provides a cohesive policy framework for local authority to address universal access principles

• It links real local needs to local policy• Has tangible results• Creates new linkages between

officials, PWD, advocates and elected members

• Highlights where real barriers to access are

• More informed decision-making for all

Challenges • On-going commitment by all to

implementation and monitoring• Need to acknowledge diversity within

the disability sector• Need to ensure all disability sectors are

included in policy development• Need to address blockages to access at

a national level e.g. weakness in legislation

• Need for more initiatives nationally to change public attitudes e.g. penalty points