Inspirational Joanne O’Riordan addresses Independent Living event for Laois/Offaly

OFFALY Centre for Independent Living, which also covers Laois, held a service users event known as Leaders Engagement Day with keynote speaker Joanne O’Riordan.

The main aim of the event was to identify real issues and challenges about rights, representations and independent living for people with disabilities in Laois and Offaly.

Also addressing the conference was Elaine Teague, CEO of Disability Federation of Ireland.

The day was opened by Maura Morgan, chairperson of Offaly Centre for Independent Living.

She welcomed the participants and thanked them for their attendance and looked forward to their participation throughout the day.

Opening the presentations, Ms Teague reflected on the recently published National Human Rights Strategy for people with disabilities. She said: “This is a moment in time to pause, reflect and celebrate that for the first time ever people with disabilities are at its core”.

“This is an all-government department strategy and that all government departments have committed to this strategy.” “This is the first National Strategy developed since Ireland ratified the UN Convention on Human Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

She added: “This strategy sets out a course for disability policy across government for the next five years with the ambition to drive real change.” Its stated vision is to ensure full participation in Irish society on an equal basis with others, disabled persons have a right to a life without barriers.

However, Ms Teague stressed that a strategy alone will not change lives - implementation is everything. She outlined that Ireland is at the bottom of the table for employing disabled persons and this needs to change but there is no point in having a job if you have no transport to get to that job. She highlighted the huge need for supports to enable persons with disabilities engage and participate in community life on an equal basis.

She concluded by congratulating OCIL on organising this day and encouraged all in attendance to have their voices heard and in particular now coming up to budget time to ensure that the process begins to get the words in the glossy strategy to implementation.

Finally, the main speaker, Ms O’Riordan, addressed the gathering.

Joanne, who is from Cork, is one of seven people in the world living with a rare physical condition known as Total Amelia. This means she was born without all four limbs and even though there is no medical explanation as to why this happened, Joanne has never allowed it to hold her back.

Joanne is an activist for people with disabilities, a motivational speaker and a sports columnist with the Irish Times. She is now studying to become a solicitor.

She has used technology to enhance her abilities in both her education and through the wider social environment. She has conquered enormous challenges at home, in school and around her local community. Joanne is now an example to all able bodies and disabled bodies to live a very happy, independent, and fulfilled lives. The challenges she faces everyday get bigger and far greater to overcome. She is truly an inspiration to others.

Joanne has never allowed her disability to hold her back and continues to advocate on behalf of person with disabilities. Just because she has no limbs doesn’t mean she has no voice.

While recognising and acknowledging the invaluable support of PA (Personal Assistant) support by HSE she highlighted that the present rigid system locks a person with specific hours at specific time and she believes that persons with disabilities should have far more choice when those hours are applied.

She strongly advocated for Personalised Budgets where the person with a disability would be free to recruit, train and manage those hours at times of their choice. She encourages those in attendance to make their voices hear- their voice matters. In order to achieve the impossible one must believe in the possible. Independent Living should be a right of every person with a disability, a right to make choices, a right to have control over their life. Independent Living should be helping one to live not to survive.

She welcomed the new National Human Rights Strategy for Persons with Disabilities and looked forward to its implementation across all Government Departments.

She ended her address by congratulating Offaly Centre for Independent Living for organising this day and said that it was important that people with disabilities have their voices hear and this is a great start in the process for people with disabilities in Laois and Offaly.