A spokesperson for the Irish Thalidomide Association has said members were "devastated" and "hurt by the Government's statement earlier this week.
Survivors of the thalidomide morning sickness drug, which caused significant side effects in newborn babies in the 1950s and 1960s, met for several hours yesterday to discuss their response to the Government statement.
The three coalition leaders also said they were "sorry for all you have endured", and outlined a number of supports including free travel passes as well as "enhanced" health, social care and independent living supports.
Speaking on RTÉ's Brendan O'Connor programme, ITA spokesperson Finola Cassidy said she was on calls yesterday for five hours with members.
"What a lot of people forget is we are a catastrophically disabled group of people spread around the country, and when we come together, we have to take time to make sure that we have everybody included.
"I don't know how to say it any other way, but we are devastated, we are so hurt, and we are so shocked because everything about the recent past, the new politics in Ireland, some interactions with the Taoiseach and everything, we really thought we were on a step forward, actually a step to a conclusion, a step to sorting this.
"The meetings were very lengthy yesterday, and I can’t begin to explain the palpable hurt and upset, so we have a few days let’s see how this plays out," she said.
The association was due to release a statement last night, but due to the length of the meeting, that statement will now be published this weekend or on Monday.
However, sources have confirmed the group will still call for a formal State apology to thalidomide survivors and their families; an enhanced health, social care and independent living supports to be put on a statutory footing' a 'fair compensation scheme'; and for 12 people the group says are thalidomide survivors to be recognised and acknowledged by the State.
Around 4,000 thalidomide survivors, many of whom are in their 60s and older, are alive worldwide, including around 40 in Ireland.
Currently, Ireland acknowledges 28 of the 40 thalidomide survivors, with the Irish Thalidomide Association saying the remaining 12 also need to be included in any plans.
Ms Cassidy said the Government needed to come to the table again or reach out to the group to figure out "why they got this so wrong."
She said survivors were led to believe they would receive an apology similar to the Stardust victims.
"Certainly, that is what we thought was that there was going to be fresh engagement and a fresh delivery on this," and that they expected a Dáil apology.
She described the wording of the letter from the coalition leaders as "extraordinary."
"It says an expression of sympathy for failing to protect the children of the State. That is not an apology. They didn't protect," she said.
Regarding practical measures offered such as free travel, she said the sentence "put me on my knees."
"I just could not believe that they were dealing with an attempt at regret and sympathy, knowing that mothers and the whole families and their lifetime of history was going to be in that and let's stick in a sentence about we will give you a free bus pass, it was extraordinary."
Additional reporting Fiachra Ó Cionnaith
