MELBOURNE: A disability rights campaigner has been invited to address an EU conference in Dublin.
Ardinnan campaigner Cara Darmody spoke on June 30 at an EU Conference, highlighting the long delays of the assessment waiting lists. The Tipperary teenager has long been advocating for political action on the Disability Act 2005, which is currently under review.
She said: “My name is Cara Darmody and I’m just 15 years old. I’m a disability rights campaigner & young carer from Ireland, who’s here today to tell you about the horrific damage being done to children with disabilities in my Country, all due to the Government’s total & utter failure to comply with its own Disability Act. That failure is also hugely damaging to carers.
“Let me explain. In Ireland, the law emphatically states that when a child presents with a disability, the Government must assess that child with 6 months.
“That time limit is there because it’s accepted by everyone that damage is caused to children if it doesn’t occur within 6 months. Now here’s the shocking part – approximately 23,000 children are presently on the waiting list to be assessed, with some children left to wait over 5 years. In Ireland, the Government has delegated the authority to carry out assessments to the Health Service Authority (HSE), who are Ireland’s national health service. I can report to you today that they break the 6-month time limit law in 93% of cases, with the average waiting time being 2 ¼ years nationally.
“This has now become a national crisis as the numbers waiting have grown dramatically, from 15,000 to 23,000 in just the last year.
“I’ve alleged many times that permanent damage is caused to children when they do not get properly assessed, and when they are sent away for years into an abyss.”
“That allegation is never disputed by the Irish Government. Early intervention, which is the most important thing for a child with a disability, is but a myth in Ireland.
“Carers are forced to personally finance the cost of private assessments, if they can source the money, and in many cases they can’t. So, the damage done is both physical to the child, and financial to the family.
“Now let me tell you about me and what motivates me. I have two brothers who are autistic and who have severe intellectual disabilities – Neil (13) and John (9).
“Because of the horrific way they were treated by the Irish State, I entered the world of advocacy at just 11 years of age. I then raised huge national attention on this issue by sitting a school state exam called the Leaving Certificate at just 12 years old. That exam is normally taken by 18 year olds, and I scored 97% in it! My campaign is now for the national cause only, so that no child with a disability gets left behind.
“But let’s cut to the chase here – I’m no ordinary campaigner. I’ve performed solo protests at our Government Buildings, including two 50-hour overnight protests in 2025, including one in the middle of the infamous Storm Bram last December. As the adults ran from the storm, I set up my tent and braved it out for several nights. To emphasise the enormity of what I’m doing, ask yourselves this question – what were you doing when you were 11 to 15 years old? It probably wasn’t sleeping on a cold concrete street in the middle of a huge storm.
“My advocacy style is very simple – I engage with all politicians, Government & Opposition, and the police, in the most positive way possible. But I’m very emphatic about the facts when in front of a microphone.
“In this case, I regularly point out that the Irish Government are systematically breaking the Assessments of Needs law, and I’ve told them that to their faces in multiple high profile meetings that I’ve held with the leaders & ministers of our Country.
“Now let me tell you about the huge success that I’ve had. I personally convinced the Government to create what is now called “Cara’s Fund” – a ring-fenced fund to source & pay for private psychologists to assess children as an interim measure.
“I can proudly tell you that €10million was allocated by the Irish Government to “Cara’s Fund” in Ireland’s Budget 2025, and then a further €20million in Budget 2026. So it’s the greatest honour of my life to have been personally credited in writing with €30million of Government funding. Humbly, I’ve also been officially informed that over 10,000 children have received autism assessments that they wouldn’t have otherwise received, without “Cara’s Fund.”
“But I’m still not happy. My ultimate request is to solve this issue by the Government launching a huge international recruitment campaign as we don’t appear to have enough psychologists & therapists in Ireland to solve this problem. I also want the Government to treat this permanent damaging of children as an emergency. Both of those are presently being resisted.
“So as I leave Brussels, the time for action has come again. My campaign is going into emergency launch mode once again, and I’ll be returning to the street outside our Government Buildings for another huge 50-hour overnight protest in just two weeks time.
“In summary, Carers, and by extension children with disabilities, are not properly supported physically or financially. I urge the maximum support possible for them.
“But rather than just talk about it, I’m heading straight back to Ireland, with my smile & total positivity, to not just talk about this issue, but to perform real action to once again put serious pressure on our Government, to finally push them to create a better Country for all.
“Thank you so much for listening.”