I visited Washington, Boston and Rhode Island in the USA during the period Monday, 13 October to Saturday, 18 October 1997.
The Government is committed to greater access for people with disabilities in all areas and my first purpose in making the trip was to explore, in the American context, the growing participation in the arts by people with disabilities. I met the president of the Very Special Arts Project in Washington, who had visited Ireland in November 1996, to participate in a conference held in Cork entitled "From Margin to Mainstream: Equal Opportunity for People with Disabilities International Conference". This was a very valuable meeting and I have no doubt but that the experience of those involved in the Very Special Arts Project in the USA can help significantly with the work which is taking place in Ireland in this area.