Officer to speak with residents during accessibility audits

James Roulston Mooney December 4, 2025 11:14 am

The local authority will undertake accessibility audits of the region before the end of the year and speak to residents with lived experience of accessibility issues to inform the outcome.

The Equality Officer at the local council is set to lead a comprehensive programme of accessibility audits across South Dublin.

Councillor Vicki Casserly, whose son James is a disability advocate, welcomed the news and discussed the necessity of these audits taking place sooner rather than later.

Cllr Casserly stated: “It’s great to see that this is actually going to happen by the end of Q4 2025.

“I just think this is imperative that it happens sooner rather than later. But as well, it’s wayfinding, it’s misplacement of signage in the village – clear signage, clear directional signage – and that includes our public realm, our roads and I suppose our housing estates as well.”

The audits will be facilitated through collaboration with the reconvened South Dublin County Council Disability Advisory and Consultative Panel.

The voluntary panel was established in 2010 and exists to advise SDCC on key issues that are relevant to the lives and interests of disabled people in the County.

The council noted that the audits will not provide immediate results but that the report that comes from the process will feed change down the line.

Cllr Casserly asked that sections involved in Public Works programmes be involved in the process as well to ensure more proactive work is done to make South Dublin more accessible.

“I think it would be really useful to support the Disability Equality Officer and the consultative panel that, I suppose, a member of staff from each section that has an involvement in the public works or programme of works is included in those meetings.

“And it will give, I suppose, better outcomes in the end rather than having to fix things retrospectively, but I suppose having that lived experience voice as we go along as well.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.