In this Issue:
No Magic Pill
Article 25
Sun and Cocktails
DRCD
VOICE

ILMI in the Midlands and out West

ILMI’s Peter Kearns, who is also a cast member of the dynamic and ground-breaking play No Magic Pill, has been leading Disability Equality Workshops across Ireland. These workshops have taken the stage by storm at the Backstage Theatre in Longford, the Irish Wheelchair Association in Briarhill, Galway, and the Glór Theatre in Ennis, County Clare.

At every venue, we had fantastic turnouts, with each event packed with laughter, energy, and thunderous applause. A huge thank you to the incredible teams who helped organise these events, and an even bigger thank you to all the participants who brought such enthusiasm to the workshops.

This isn’t just a workshop series, this is history in the making. Ground breaking conversations on disability equality are happening right now. And *No Magic Pill* is at the heart of it. Don’t miss your chance to witness this incredible play live on stage, grab your tickets now and be part of something unforgettable!

Check out all the upcoming venues and accessible performances of No Magic Pill here 

Join ILMI’s Article 25 online Workshops for Disabled People!

We’re excited to share that our first workshop was a massive success, and now it’s time for the next one. These workshops are for disabled people only, creating a space where our voices can shape the future of healthcare in Ireland.

Why are we doing this? 
Under Article 25 of the UNCRPD, the state is obligated to provide the highest standard of healthcare to disabled people. These workshops allow us to develop a shared vision for accessible, inclusive, and affordable health services from a social model perspective. We are addressing health inequalities and working to ensure our healthcare needs are met.

Your Role: 
If you’re an attendee, you’re not just participating, you’re actively helping shape the final report, which will contribute to the launch event. This is a chance for disabled people across Ireland to have their say in how healthcare should be delivered, ensuring our collective voice is heard and acted upon.

Workshop Schedule:

– Disabled Women & Access to Healthcare – Monday, 30th September
– Access to Primary Healthcare – Thursday, 3rd October
– Access to Acute Care – Tuesday, 8th October
– Reproductive Healthcare, IVF & AHR – Thursday, 10th October
– Health Screening Programmes – Tuesday, 15th October
– Access to Healthcare Information & Digital Health – Thursday, 17th October
– Disability & Cost of Healthcare – Tuesday, 22nd October
– Health Systems & Structures – Thursday, 24th October

Workshops will take place from 11am to 1pm on Zoom. If you are unable to attend a session but want to contribute, we’ll arrange other ways for your voice to be included.

To register for these workshops, email info@ilmi.ie  We are proud to provide a safe online space for disabled people to engage in these important discussions. Let’s work together to shape the future of healthcare! All information Here

Sun and Cocktails

Fiona Weldon, ILMI’s Capacity Officer represented the DPO Network at a Disability Respite Services Stakeholder Event which was run by the Department of Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth on Wednesday 26th September.

This event was opened by Minister Anne Rabbitte followed by presentations from The Disability Residential Services Unit, The Brothers of Charity Services, Inclusion Ireland along with advocates, Western Care, and the Home Sharing National Working Group.

The purpose of the event was to examine what respite currently is and what it could or should look like or is there an alternative.

If we search for the meaning of “Respite” on the Internet we will usual find the words “offering disabled people – adults and children “the opportunity to take a holiday while at the same time providing the families / carers with a break from full-time caring”. But I ask, is it? With a costing of over €60 + million per annum. Think of all the sun and cocktails Disabled People could have…

I was delighted to hear that there was a unanimous agreement that the current “Respite Provision” is:

•           Not working for those that it services or its providers
•           Highly medicalised
•           Very much embedded in a “care” model of support. We know that disabled people don’t want “to be cared for by the people who support them. A power imbalance ensues when care is done to us.
•           Driven by parents and Carers organisations.

But I was very disappointed about the lack of creative solutions that the audience came up with. It was very much driven by families “in crisis” and a need for a much needed “break for both parents and siblings”. ILMI are all too aware that being reliant on family members for support needs destroys the family dynamics.

While some expressed a need for change many expressed more of the same – more investment, more staff, more crisis beds, and more training to manage those with “challenging behaviours”. I remember someone I supported not so long ago and I quote: why are we forced into using institutions that control us, that lock us away and just because I am a disabled person – we are treated like prisoners, and we haven’t committed any crime”.

We know from our work in ILMI that families are often forced to send their loved ones “as a last resort” because of the lack of individualised person-centred supports. We are also acutely aware that we don’t know the “real impact of respite on family members”.

From an ILMI perspective we must to invest in the “provision of tailored Personal Assistance Services (PAS) from an early age”. We know that this can support parents, disabled children and adults to live self-determined lives – offering choice and control and we know that this is a cost-effective measure  see our PAS NOW campaign  and that choice and control of our lives is at the core of the UNCRPD.

ILMI believes that “respite” as a topic can often be seem as a “Taboo” subject among Disability Activists. Many Disabled People have accessed respite over the years because of the lack of supports at some stage in their lives, and some have expressed shame for even admitting this.

Respite is contrary to the philosophy of independent living and it is something people have accessed due to systems failure in the provision of supports such as PAS – see details of our PAS Campaign here .

Some Disabled People have very positive experiences of respite settings as they are based on a model of exploring what supports can lead to greater control in their lives and exploring what managing services themselves can look like.

The Home from Home Self Catering Apartment” Rental Service is a great example “home from home” where Disabled People are empowered to explore independent living and what living outside the family home can really look like.

Direct Payments was also mentioned as an alternative, where disabled people receive money directly and chose what they want as an alternative to respite.

Over the coming months ILMI intends to bring a lived experience analysis of this topic and will create a safe space for Disabled People to discuss their experience of respite and will pose questions, like:

• Does respite work for Disabled People?
• Does it really serve those that are availing of this service?
• Could the monies be spend on to support Disabled People and the families to have meaningful breaks?
•  And if Disabled People were in control and designed these systems, where should investment go and what would that look like?

After all “Respite” is supposed to be a holiday. A holiday for me is on a beach drinking a cocktail for lunch while bathing in the sun”.

Watch this space! Not about my holidays… but in conversations with Disabled People and their families about what real holidays / breaks must look like.

If you want to be part of this conversation, email info@ilmi.ie with the subject line “Respite Discussion”

DRCD

In his opening speech, Minister Joe O’Brien emphasised the importance of a community development approach in addressing marginalisation. He highlighted how crucial it is for communities to have the power to decide what is best for them. All of the projects showcased focus on supporting groups experiencing social exclusion, whether based on geographical communities or specific groups of people.

A key theme that resonated throughout the day was the collective effort to empower individuals and communities to create and implement their own solutions to the challenges they face. This active involvement is at the heart of community development.

ILMI’s VOICE programme, delivered under the Community Development Programme, embodies these principles by prioritising the collective empowerment of disabled people.

In the afternoon, a slideshow presentation showcased the impactful work of all the projects, including VOICE. The event was a rare and valuable opportunity to network with stakeholders and learn from the diverse approaches being implemented across different programmes.

Opportunity to engage in six empowering workshops

The VOICE project’s next series of online workshops start on Wednesday, 9 October, and will run for six weeks. They will take place on Zoom, each Wednesday from 9 October-13 November from 2-3pm. In the weekly sessions, participants can make new connections with peers, explore what the word disability means and how we can work together as a collective to identify and remove the local barriers that prevent us from having the same Opportunity to engage in six empowering workshops.

The VOICE project’s next series of online workshops start on Wednesday, 9 October, and will run for six weeks. They will take place on Zoom, each Wednesday from 9 October-13 November from 2-3pm. In the weekly sessions, participants can make new connections with peers, explore what the word disability means and how we can work together as a collective to identify and remove the local barriers  that prevent us from having the same opportunities as nondisabled people. We will look at the role of Disabled Persons organisations (DPO’s) can have to ensure the perspective and voices of Disabled persons are listened to when a policy that will impact them is being developed or public funding is being spent on upgrading the transport system et cetera. You have nothing to lose, and this could be the start of your activism journey with ILMI and the VOICE project. VOICE provides a platform for disabled people to connect, engage, and advocate for a more inclusive society. As a cross impairment organisation, we welcome the participation of any disabled person irrespective of their impairment i.e. people with physical or sensory impairments, people who identify as neuro divergent.

For counties Kerry, Cork and Tipperary email nicolameacle@ilmi.ie
For counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford email paulasoraghan@ilmi.ie

Funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development under the Community Development Programme, our Virtual Online Inclusive Communities for Empowerment (VOICE) project works with disabled people in counties Cork, Kerry, Tipperary, Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford.

More details about our VOICE Project on this link

ILMI Resources

A Smorgasbord of recent links on our link in bio click here https://beacons.ai/ilmireland  and feel free to share.

Why not explore the wealth of resources available to you on our website: from our strategic plan to our  invaluable SFC resources and our policy documents and submissions. At our core, we’re a cross-impairment disabled person’s organisation dedicated to tackling the topics that matter most. Let’s continue our journey toward inclusivity and empowerment together!  If you want to know more or sign up and get involved in our work please email info@ilmi.ie

In this Issue:

We are Hiring!
Opportunity (s)
Mayo DPO
VOICE Event
Workability
WALK

We are Hiring!

IMAGE: graphic with text that reads “we are hiring”

ILMI Policy Officer
Full time: 35 hours per week, initial one year contract.

ILMI is seeking a dynamic, motivated and driven individual to join our staff team as Policy Officer. ILMI is a national cross-impairment Disabled Persons Organisation (DPO). Our vision is an Ireland where disabled people have freedom, choice and control over all aspects of their lives and can fully participate in an inclusive society as equals. Full details of role and how to apply here.

ILMI Community Development Worker: Engaging Disabled People in Direct Provision Project
(8 month fixed-term contract)
Full time: 35 hours per week, eight-month contract. ILMI will consider job sharing for his post.
This position is funded by the Disability Participation Awareness Fund (DPAF), administered by Rethink Ireland. Full details of role and how to apply here.

Join the Movement: Upcoming ILMI Events & Opportunities for Disabled People Across Ireland

At Independent Living Movement Ireland (ILMI), we believe in a movement for everyone, a movement where we as disabled people come together, empowered by shared experiences, to create real, meaningful change. We are a national, cross-impairment Disabled Persons Organisation (DPO), driven by disabled activists, and guided by the values of Human Rights, Collective Empowerment, and Social Justice.

Here’s what’s coming up, and we’d love for you to get involved:

1. Launch of Wexford Disabled Persons Organisation (DPO)
Join us for the official launch of the Wexford DPO on Wednesday, 18th September, from 12-2pm at the Riverside Park Hotel, Enniscorthy. This is more than just a launch—it’s the start of a movement within Wexford where disabled people will advocate for change in their communities. The event will be in The Spencer Suite, and you’ll be welcomed by like-minded individuals who believe in the power of collective action.

Come along, meet others, and be part of shaping a stronger voice for disabled people in Wexford. To attend, contact paulasoraghan@ilmi.ie

2. FREE Disability Equality Workshops
Ever wanted to be part of the conversation on disability equality? Here’s your chance! From 23-26 September, we’re hosting FREE Disability Equality Workshops across Galway, Longford, Ennis, and Dublin.

These 2.5-hour workshops are designed to spark meaningful dialogue on how we can build inclusive environments, break down stereotypes, and promote equality for disabled people. All are welcome, whether you’re disabled or non-disabled, and looking to make a positive change.

Workshop Details are all here:
– Longford: Mon, 23rd September | 2 pm – 4.30 pm
– Ennis: Tues, 24th September | 10.30 am – 1 pm
– Galway: Weds, 25th September | 10 am – 12.30 pm
– Dublin: Thurs, 26th September | 2 pm – 4.30 pm

How to Book: Email ninabyrne@ilmi.ie  to reserve your spot!
Facilitated by Peter Kearns, this interactive experience is a collaboration with Magic Pill Productions, IWA, and DFI.

3. No Magic Pill Play Tour
After attending a workshop, don’t miss the No Magic Pill play by Christian O’Reilly, touring Galway, Longford, Ennis, and Dublin from 7-23 November. This award-winning play tackles disability themes with wit and power. Tickets are available here.

4. Feminist Climate Justice and Public Transport Event
Be part of a groundbreaking conversation on Friday, 22nd September, during Dublin’s Climate Action Week. Join feminist communities, including ILMI’s Claire Kenny, in discussing how public transport can be designed to serve everyone in the face of the climate crisis.

Reserve your place here.

5. NDA National Disability Conference 2024
Don’t miss the chance to attend the NDA’s National Disability Conference on 24th October 2024, focusing on disabled people’s participation in cultural life, recreation, and sport in Ireland (UNCRPD Article 30). You can attend online and hear from ILMI’s Peter Kearns, who will deliver a keynote speech. Details here

6. Join a DPO in Your Area
Are you ready to take your leadership skills to the next level, meet new people, and make a real impact in your community? ILMI supports DPOs across Ireland, and we want you to join us! Whether you live in Kerry, Cork, Tipperary, Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford, Meath, Dublin, Mayo, Donegal, Sligo, or Leitrim, there’s a DPO waiting for you to get involved.

For more info on your county’s DPO, email:
– Kerry, Cork, Tipperary: nicolameacle@ilmi.ie
– Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford: paulasoraghan@ilmi.ie
– Meath: fionaweldon@ilmi.ie
– Dublin, Mayo, Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim: peterkearns@ilmi.ie

Together, let’s keep building a future where everyone’s voice is heard. Get stuck in, be part of the movement, and let’s continue working towards a society that values equality, inclusivity, and the rights of all.

MAYO DPO

IMAGE: Zoom screenshot of participants

First DPO Vision and Values workshop towards an AGM constitution. Next workshop is on Monday 16th September at 7pm on zoom . Want to get involved? Contact peterkearns@ilmi.ie

ILMI VOICE EVENT
The ILMI VOICE project is hosting on the 19^th of September 7 to 8pm via Zoom an exclusive event with Peter Kearns, NMP cast member and disability equality Dramaturg! Don’t miss out on this exclusive event where ILMI’s Paula Soraghan will interview Peter. They will discuss the importance of authentic representation of disabled people in Irish theatre, the significance of the disability rights movement and why the fight for disability rights is needed, now more than ever.
To register and receive the zoom link. Please email paulasoraghan@ilmi.ie

Workability

IMAGE: the group of six people including Mark, Peter and Claire

On Thursday, the 22nd of August, ILMI’s Peter Kearns and Claire Kenny, Together with Sligo’s DPO’s Chairperson Mark Kupczak, attended the launch of a north west Workability 5-year employment & ‘Disability’ project managed by the Sligo Leader Partnership. Workability project’s is being rolled out across the Country and is being administered by Pobal on behalf of Minister Heather Humphries Dept. of Social Protection, aims to support 5,000 disabled people (16+) into education & employment and has a budget of up to €36.29 million. It’s the same government Dept. that withdrew the Green Paper on ‘reforming’ Disability payments after ILMI’s successful engagement with its members and its locally supported DPOs who raised lived experience concerns about proposed payment radical changes. The Workability programme, which again did not include any design or development required by UN CRPD obligated dialogue with DPOs such as ILMI, is currently a large 5-year fund designed & delivered by non-disabled staff for local, regional and national projects for disabled adults but not ‘with’ us or our DPOs.

ILMI’s Claire & Peter and Sligo DPO’s Mark conveyed the importance of meaningful engagement with Sligo DPO moving forward in all aspects of the program. They look forward to being active members of the work Ability steering group and ensuring that disabled people’s voices are Included in the future design delivery and review of this program to ensure the principals of the UNCRPD are ahead towards our motto ‘Nothing about US without US’.

WALK

IMAGE: photo shows 12 people including ILMI’s Fiona.

Margaret Keogh, a Disabled Woman from WALK who took part in our 10 week Strategies for Change Programme in Celbridge, invited Fiona to come and talk to their advocacy group about who ILMI are, the work that we do, and our Strategies for Change Programme.

During the session we explored the difference between our concept of impairment and our concept of disability. This fundamental shift in thinking is paramount in changing mind-sets including our own.

We are people with impairments and we do have to manage these but our “disability” only kicks in when we come up against insurmountable barriers that are systematically built to exclude us from taking part in the ordinary rhythms of daily life.

For example: if we had access to “information that we can understand” “if we had stairs with two rails”, “if our parents supported us to do what we want”, “if we had the freedom to make our own choices”, “if we weren’t restricted by services which are not built around disabled people”, (currently they do not meet our needs) – we would live a barrier free life. This is the Social Model of Disability, Disabled People do not need to change, do not need to be fixed or cured. It is society that needs to be changed in order for Disabled People to be truly included.

We chatted about what real inclusion can look like, what real equality can look like, being mindful that as everyone is different, equality looks different for everyone.

We discussed the importance of advocacy, of being confident of speaking up and out about the things that are important to us, and using these skills as a collective to strategise for change. Being good listeners and using the social model can be a powerful tool to support disabled people as a collective to feel confident and take charge of their own lives. Making good plans will always help our government, the people who support us and the wider community to understand that we have the same rights to live like everyone else but we need the right support.

Disabled people need to be part of the co-creation and re-creation of the services that we use to support us.

WALK is really interested in ILMI’s Manifesto for Change and they would like to get involved in the Dublin DPO.

The Social Model of Disability

What are DPOs:

The DPO Network

The National Platform DPO Network Position Paper in Plain English

Why are Disabled Peoples Organisations (DPOs) important?

“Person-Centered vs System-Centered” – Beth Mount

Contact fionaweldon@ilmi.ie for more information.

ILMI Resources
Why not explore the wealth of resources available to you on our website: from our strategic plan to our  invaluable SFC resources and our policy documents and submissions. At our core, we’re a cross-impairment disabled person’s organisation dedicated to tackling the topics that matter most. Let’s continue our journey toward inclusivity and empowerment together!  If you want to know more or sign up and get involved in our work please email info@ilmi.ie