A Dublin man with cebrebral palsy is joining RTE as an intern after a successful campaign to get personal assistant hours.
Daniel Airey's eight personal assistant (PA) hours were cut once he graduated from his masters degree in Broadcast Production for Television and Radio. He previously explained to Dublin Live that this meant he would not be able to live independently or enter the workforce.
The 24-year-old said that his worst nightmare was always ending up in a nursing home and was frustrated because he wants to have a positive impact on society. But yesterday, Daniel thankfully announced that he was starting as an intern with RTE having previously secured his requested PA hours in March.
He said: "Delighted, honoured and privileged to be able to announce that I'll be joining the team @rte_entertainmentonline as an intern for the next few months. I'm excited to share my perspectives and learn from an incredible team at the core of the media industry in this country!"
Daniel had previously spoken about the importance of personal assistant hours in his daily life. He said: "I can apply for all the jobs I want but if I don't have a personal assistant available to me then I can't do a job to the fullest extent of my ability.
"Throughout my academic life I had access to a personal assistant throughout the day. Essentially, it helped me navigate through my studies and I have gotten to a point now where I want to make a meaningful contribution to society and yet I can't do that effectively without access to a PA.
"There isn't a transitional procedure in place whereby you graduate from academia into work-life, paying taxes and doing what every citizen does. We are in a position at the minute where mum has been my primary carer for 24 years and dad is now dealing with chemo at the minute. It's becoming increasingly critical that this gets sorted. I am in a position where I go into a nursing home.
"That is a nightmare for me. I've had breakdowns about this. I don't even dare to think about where I would be if that was to happen. A PA is essentially an extension of my limbs.
"It would mean helping me get up in the morning, helping me get breakfast ready, getting things ready for work, getting all that sorted and then getting me into work, spending the day with me as I work ,getting back home again, getting dinner ready, getting everything ready for the next day and of course getting to bed again.
"There is an awful lot in that, that's what I've been told. They worry that if you get them [the PA hours], you might not use them how they are meant to be used. At the same time, how I use a PA is my own choice. I need this support to be able to live my life to the fullest possible degree."
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