Disabled People of Clare - DPOC - Ireland

Mission and Beliefs

Mission Statement:
The Disabled People of Clare are committed to working towards a society where all people with disabilities would, with confidence, make decisions about our own lives, design and develop our own services, to achieve equality of experience: through consensus, respect and value for all levels of input.

Core Beliefs:
The DPOC adheres to four core beliefs:
Choice - Everyone has the right to choose who assists them, how and when assistance is provided and what the assistance is.

Rights - People with disabilities have the right to independent living, self-determine our own support and be fully included in society.

Empowerment - People with disabilities have the right to become empowered and people with disabilities are best placed to assist in this through peer support, consultancy and advocacy. Fundamental is the design and control of user-led services and the involvement of service-users in the provision and monitoring of all services.

Control - People with disabilities having the ultimate control over our lives and the assistance that is in place to allow us to live our lives. This does not mean we can necessarily do this without help. That is why we developed advocacy groups called centre for Independent Living to give support.