This article is from page 27 of the 2008-09-09 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 27 JPG
THE issue of accessability and the barriers faced by people with dis- abilities will be addressed at a con- KUO NI DION IIS C Molo)
The event, organised by Enable Ire- land as part of Action Week, takes place at the West County hotel on Wednesday, September 17.
The theme of the week is Access All Areas and aims to promote ac- cess for people with disabilities to all areas of life, from social and leisure activities, education and employment to infrastructure and buildings. Dur- ing Action Week supporters can buy a Gold Badge to raise valuable funds to help take action on disability.
The conference in Ennis aims to provide information on a wide range
of topics related to accessibility, from education to leisure activities.
Speakers at the event include repre- sentatives from Clare County Coun- cil and Clare Accessible Transport and James Murrihy, the sports inclu- sion development officer for Clare.
Anne O’Malley from the Ennis branch of Enable Ireland said acces- sibility remains a significant problem in Clare.
“There are huge barriers with re- gards to accessibility whether that relates to transport or education. This is something we want to high- light, but at the same time we also hope to show that these barriers and problems can be overcome.”
Information stands and members of Enable Ireland will be on hand on the day to offer help and advice. People
with disabilities and their families are especially encouraged to attend, to share their experiences.
Anne explained, “We get a lot of en- quiries from people who maybe have children with disabilities, wondering ~VoJOlUL Mm UND CODN Orca: DeLG mu elO\, au KOmecxO mr: 1ele)011 making their homes more accessible. We want service users to come along and avail of the opportunity to share WeToJD MSD. 4 OLS U (oOo IRY ALO UR
A major focus over the past year for Enable Ireland in Clare has been in the area of leisure activities. The or- ganisation implemented a wide pro- gramme of sports and leisure related activities with particular focus on watersports.
Anne explained, “What we have done in Ennis over the past year is try to create a situation where peo-
ple with disabilities could have pretty regular access to wide range of sports. Watersports was one area we focused on. It’s been a lot of fun for everyone involved. We had two wheelchair users going windsurfing. There was a wheelchair soccer tour- nament, trips to the swimming pool, lots of different things.”
The water theme continues next week when Liam Griffin, water safe- ty officer with Clare County Council, will officially open the conference.
Enable Ireland supports 3,500 chil- dren and adults with disabilities and their families and provide services in local communities throughout Ire- land. Covering childhood to adult- hood, expert teams work with the individual and their family on a plan for each life stage.