On 3 Feb 2022 a LightAware representative attended the Oireachtas, the Irish Parliament, to speak to the Joint Committee on Disability Matters on the topic ‘Equality and Non-Discrimination’. LightAware was supporting a light-disabled Irish citizen whose life has been blighted by the spread of LED lighting in street lighting, shops, homes and traffic signs. In a powerful witness statement she described the pain she suffers and the growing restrictions to her life:
“Due to the changeover to LED pedestrian and traffic lights, I cannot get into town. I am trapped … I cannot work or travel and I cannot visit friends or attend special occasions with family. A life of isolation and lockdown is the only alternative if something does not change.”
LightAware advises anyone struggling with artificial light in Ireland to contact their political representatives to ensure that their voices are heard and their human rights respected.
A video can be seen here:
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/committees/33/disability-matters/videos/
And the transcript of the meeting is available here:
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/joint_committee_on_disability_matters/2022-02-03/