Calls For Emergency Winter Payment For People With Disabilities

The Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) is urging Government to introduce an emergency winter payment for people with disabilities, following deep disappointment that Budget 2026 once again failed to deliver a permanent Cost of Disability Payment. Without targeted support this winter, thousands of people with disabilities will face increased hardship, isolation, and impossible choices between heating and eating. To discuss this in detail, Alan Morrissey was joined by Anne-Marie Flanagan, Clare Disability Rights Activist with Clare Leader Forum and Niamh O’Callaghan, a Shannon resident disabled due to a car crash and now bearing the costs of rehab. Image (c) Irish Wheelchair Association