Joint Committee on Disability Matters to celebrate United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities with discussion on Why Disability Matters

The meeting at 9am in Committee Room 4 of Leinster House will hear from:

• Representatives from Special Olympics Ireland, Matt English, Chief Executive Officer, and Margaret Turley, Special Olympics athlete;
• Representatives from Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities, Marie Devitt, Pathways Coordinator and Barbara Ringwood, Senior Occupational Therapist;
• Representatives from WALK, Catherine Kelly, Director of Services.

Committee Chair Deputy Michael Moynihan said: “The United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed every year on 3 December to promote the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities and to take action for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of society.

“The members of the Committee on Disability Matters are very proud that the Oireachtas is one of the first parliaments in the world to have a special committee on disability matters. By asking Why Disability Matters we hope going forward that we can bring light to the challenges facing people with disabilities and to their families, so that we make sure that Ireland as a society is best-equipped to engage with people with disabilities and to make the lives of people with disabilities more fulfilled and more cherished.

“On this most important day for people with disabilities we look forward to meeting with the representative of Special Olympics Ireland, the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities and WALK to hear their views on Why Disability Matters and how we can improve the lives of people with disabilities in Ireland.”

The Joint Committee on Disability Matters has 14 Members, nine from the Dáil and five from the Seanad.

The meeting in Committee Room 4 can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.