WHAT THE DELEGATES HAVE TO SAY!

Theia Regan, 17, from Sandycove in Dublin, is a Special Comhairle delegate, representing the National Council of the Blind of Ireland. Theia lost her sight at the age of 6 following a serious illness. She voted for the education and carers theme. Theia attends Loreto Abbey School in Dalkey. Among her many interests, Theia cooks, makes pottery and fund-raises for organisations like the Red Cross.

“If the youth of this generation don’t speak up now, we won’t get anywhere. We have to make things happen. There are people out there who need help. We need better hospitals, cleaner water. It’s important for young people to show an interest and, if they do, I think people will be impressed and take note of what they have to say.

I don’t regard myself as different from other people. The less attention that is drawn to my blindness, the better, as far as I’m concerned. That’s one of the reasons I use a cane rather than a guide dog. It’s a question of attitude. But I am out to fight for my rights and I’m not going to let any barriers get in my way.

People have to write to politicians and lobby them to let them know about the issues that concern them. There is no point sitting in a corner, doing nothing. I have written to people like Bertie Ahern and Noel Dempsey in Braille to tell them that facilities for the blind in this country are terrible.

Education for the blind isn’t readily available in Ireland. I’m lucky in that I can manage going to a mainstream school. My textbooks are in Braille – they’re bulky - and I use a special computer to take notes in class and do my homework. But not every blind person can cope with that.

Transport and traveling around is also extremely difficult for blind people in Ireland. There are few textured road surfaces. When you take the DART, there are rarely announcements to tell you which stop you’re at. There are no announcements at all on Dublin Bus. I have to count the stops in my head. Simple announcements would make all the difference.

I set tasks for my friends to give them an idea of what being blind is like. I’ll put a blindfold on them and then they have to try and carry out what they would regard as easy things like brushing their teeth or eating a meal!

All the themes are important to me but I chose education and carers because they are the two issues that are particularly dear to my heart”.

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