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‘They’re basically telling me I’m not paralysed enough’: Amputee unable to access vehicle adaptation scheme

David Digan (39) lost an arm following a motorcycle crash and has been unable to find work since

David Digan with his daughter Aibhlínn. The 39-year-old has is one of more than 20 disability advocates due to speak at an Oireachtas committee meeting on Monday.
David Digan with his daughter Aibhlínn. The 39-year-old has is one of more than 20 disability advocates due to speak at an Oireachtas committee meeting on Monday.
Jack White
Sun Apr 07 2024 - 06:00

Since November, David Digan has applied for more than 50 jobs near his home in Moate, Co Westmeath, but to no avail.

Scrolling on his phone, he lists out more than 30 position that he has put in for on one job site, with his most recent application sent on Friday.

The 39-year-old was a commercial diver before a motorcycle crash in 2019 in which he suffered life-changing injuries. He spent nine months in hospital, undergoing seven surgeries, and continues to receive treatment.

His left arm was paralysed and had to be amputated last April. Despite having extensive work experience, including roles in construction, he has had no luck in finding employment since.

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“They won’t take me on because I have only one arm,” he says, stressing that he is physically capable of doing the roles in question. “I’ve applied for jobs that I’m overqualified for, basically, and I still can’t get them.

“I’ve spoken to a few on the phone who’ve told me that I’m overqualified and when I go in, as soon as they see me the mouth is open and everything else. It basically all boils down to the arm.”

Mr Digan recently received a call asking him to come in for an interview, during which he informed the prospective employer of his disability. “He rang me back five minutes later and told me to not come in.”

[ Ireland is no country for disabled people who want to work – ESRI report ]

He says this lack of opportunity linked to his disability has been “extremely hurtful” and has left him feeling “useless”. He has had to rely on his partner, Avril, to drive him to interviews and medical appointments in Dublin as he cannot afford to adapt his car.

“It’s a complete disaster,” he said, adding that he lacks any independence as a result.

Since February 2020, he has been trying to gain access to the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme, which allows for tax relief on car adaptations. In his case, an adaptation would primarily involve installing infrared controls that would allow him to control everything with one arm.

The scheme also provides a fuel grant as well as exemptions from motor tax and toll fees, but Mr Digan has been denied the primary medical certificate needed to qualify for the scheme.

“They’re basically telling me that I’m not paralysed enough,” he said.

Outgoing Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said in February he would discuss the criteria with Minister for Finance Michael McGrath after Mr Digan’s case was raised in the Dáil by Independent TD Carol Nolan.

“There will always be people who don’t qualify, no matter what scheme you set up. In some cases, the rules are too harsh and perhaps they’re being enforced too strictly,” he said, adding that he feels as if he has been “abandoned” by the State.

[ Irish companies still failing those with disabilities in work ]

The “strict” criteria referenced by the Taoiseach, which has not been changed since 1968, specifies that for Mr Digan to be eligible, despite being unable to drive as he is, he would have to have no arms. He says he knows about 40 other people with disabilities who are in the same boat.

Mr Digan is one of more than 20 disability advocates due to speak at an Oireachtas committee meeting on Monday. He and five other single-arm amputees will argue that the Government is in breach of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The convention, ratified by Ireland in 2018, affirms and protects the human rights of people with disabilities.