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THERE ARE MANY things Irish people take for granted and one of them is being able to jump into a car and drive wherever you want.
But there is a small cohort of rogue motorists who park in wheelchair parking bays, who single-handedly rob wheelchair users of their independence and dignity.
Niall McDonnell has been using a wheelchair since he was 22 after a motorcycle accident changed his life forever.
Now 48 years old, he said getting back on the road is one of the best things he has ever done.
But there are some people out there who make it more difficult.
McDonnell said your typical thoughtless driver, although meaning no harm, can be the difference between a good day and a bad one.
He told TheJournal.ie: “Driving gives me a lease on life and not to have the ability to access the car or drive or parking leaves a person very isolated, more so if someone is living in a country area. Even living in towns or cities, just to get about.
“You need to be able to drive to get to shops and doctors and to work.
I wouldn’t be able to access my job unless I was driving.
“There’s a huge social aspect as well. I am the designated driver on many a night for my friends. I enjoy a drink as much as anyone else on a night, don’t get me wrong.
“But to be able to have the car is very important to me.
Vital
“It’s no good having a car if you cannot park it because someone has parked too close to you. That’s what so important about the parking bays, for chair users especially. They’re vital to me.
“At the moment, there are fines in place for people who park in these bays and there are even stricter punishments for those who are using fake permits.
“There would be those people who might be using their grandparent’s expired permit then there are those that go out of their way to get a fraudulent one. There can be fines of up to €2,000 for people who do this.”
However, the financial challenges can be too great for people living with disabilities when they try and get on the road.
Disability cuts
McDonnell, who works in the National Mobility Centre in Kildare, added: “It can be difficult to get a car. There is a scheme available where you can get a rebate on the VRT but the person would have to meet the criteria and it’s set quite high.
“There was a motorised transport grant but the government took it away two or three years ago. There have been rumblings of it being brought back.
“Anyone on the disability allowance is not on great money so it’s hard to afford a car that’s going to be roadworthy. Plus you might have to adapt it, then tax and insurance it and then it becomes out of reach. A lot of people don’t realise that driving can lead to employment.”
The Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) has a number of driving schools which cater for a myriad of disabilities.
The learning centres are nationwide and can be found on the IWA’s website.
McDonnell got back driving months after his accident left him living with a disability.
Using the IWA’s centre in Dun Laoghaire, south Dublin, he managed to get back on the road within a matter of months.
He added: “I got back on the road as soon as I could. I was in the accident when I was 22. I had the accident in the August and by March, I was back driving. You get on with it. That’s just the way it is.”
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The foods bland and its expensive, not a winning formula.
It’s also incredibly unhealthy.
Not only that, it tastes delicious.
If going down the fast food route then I’d definitely do one of those Italian choppers -Borza, Macaris etc. Failing that I’d have Burger King before McD’s!
People who like to go on and on about not owning a television also don’t go to these places.
I stopping going to MacDonald’s several years ago even though I like their food. I just got tired of how they treat the communities they operate in, bullying their way through local planning laws, suing anyone who stands up to them, marketing directly to schools and kids sporting clubs.
‘modern, progressive burger company’
Yep
I think all chain food is crap: McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Supermacs and Costa Coffee etc.
Costa and Starbucks have the worst coffee. Complete muck.
Uh huh. Costa coffee is bitter shite. Starbucks a grade or two better.
Hold on, you’re telling me that Starbucks sell coffee now?
Insomnia is decent though…
How can anyone even taste coffee with the amount of sugar, milk and general muck added to it?
McDonalds do great coffe
Now, I think it’s the other way round! Costa at least have nice cups and good cakes. Chacun à son goût!
They do, Thomas and it’s cheap as chips!
Mac Cac. Chomh blasta le himeall mo thóna!
I honestly don’t get why people eat in McDonalds! The food doesn’t fill you. You’d nearly need to eat the entire menu to feel full after it. Everything on the menu tastes like syrup dipped in vinegar (except the drinks which just taste like syrup). And it has no nutritional value. I get that people like to get the odd bit of fast food (and I do like a good Italian chipper), but why go for something that tastes disgusting, offers no nutritional value and leaves you starving 15 minutes later?
They give you a toy with the Happy Meal :)
It’s that long since I ate in a McDonalds that I had entirely forgotten about Happy Meals. Still, that’s hardly an incentive for me! Oh this talk of food is making me hungry! I think I’ll have a nice half-pounder with cheese, chips, onion rings and a battered sausage tonight! :)
Ronald will qualify for job seekers allowance so no sweat
You put one scabby gherkin in your budgets, what do you expect? Never mind the chips that never go off and the nuggets made of slime and ammonia. And what happened to the turd burglar? Did he die? Oh wait, that was burger king.
‘Our’ Supermacs are mad expensive and portuons are scabby aswell. My local chipper does a fresh fillet chicken burger, with all the dressing, large chips (that would feed two people) and two cans of coke etc for 7.20 euro.
Supermacs the other night My order was one Chicken Breast Sandwich Meal and one small chips (both portions were tiny) and it came to 10 euro 40 cent!!!
Im not a big fast food eater but appreciate the price difference.
Not sure how it is in Ireland now but in Germany at least Burger King here has veggie options and other alternatives to the traditional “burger and fries” fast food menu. I had McDonalds a few weeks ago for the first time in years and it was so bland. I’d much rather spend another euro or two and get a healthy, filling meal somewhere else.
As a kid Coming from the country always Thoght it was suppose like a magical place. first time i went was in.Dublin when i was 16. Your local chipper is much more fulfilling
A prerequisite for any restaurant should be that they serve food. McDonalds doesn’t qualify. I’d take my chances with a 20 a day habit sooner.
Janey Mac that’s bad.
It’s muck and it treats its staff the same way so good luck to it.
I’d rather eat the packaging the food comes in
MacDonalds can be a handy quick bite to eat. The thing that gets me with them the last 10 yrs or so is that when you place your order they wait for the money rather than go get it while you sort it. This leads to longer cue’s .
If you’re going to eat that crap, here’s a suggestion have the right amount in your hand.
I hear they put the prices on their menu display ‘ s.
Give me super macs any day
Lose the clown,. He sure is scary, more suited to a Stephen King novel.
I love the irony in their sponsorship of the Olympics.
I eat it every now & then as a teenager, if I was out shopping with friends stopped when I Sussed mcds= headache. Total muck.
Cannot understand how i get thumbs down while something as ridiculous as a hambuglar gets a thumbs up…..
Shanghai Husi are OSI, an American company who supply McDonalds worldwide. They are one of many Western companies who think they can act like complete cowboys in Asia to cut corners and maximize profit.
Well they would definitely have more of my business if the Big Tasty was always on the menu. Mmmmm :)
There are absolutely no stereotypical Irish comments at all here.
Not one person is begrudging the success of anyone else.
This is a good news story, even for a fast food joint the whole place mings something awful
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