Robert Joyce has been living with MS for 33 years and has been a vocal advocate for patient-involved research programmes both to help develop new treatments and lifestyle support measures.
However, because many people living with long-term illnesses such as MS are on invalidity pensions, participating in any permanent or long-term projects could until now impact on their support payment.
Under the terms of an invalidity pension, recipients are not available for work.
Now, Mr Joyce has hailed a common sense decision by the department to reconsider invalidity pension protocols to support vital patient-involved medical research projects.
People with long-term illnesses who are required…