People with Disabilities in Ireland
4th Floor Jervis House
Jervis Street
Dublin 1
Telephone: 01 87 21 74 4
Fax: 01 87 21 77 1
Email: info@pwdi.ie
Mr Maurice Manning, President, Irish Human Rights Commission
Dr Maurice Manning is the President of the Irish Human Rights Commission. He was a Dail Deputy for Dublin North-East from 1982 - 87 and a Senator from 1981 - 82 and from 1987 - 2002. A distinguished historian, he is the author
of several books on Irish politics including the Blue Shirts and a biography of James Dillon.
Mr Miroslav Nedeljkovic
A native of Postojna in Slovenia, Miroslav Nedeljkovic (31) had a severe car accident in 1991 after which he was diagnosed as having Tetraplegia C7. Following intense rehabilitation and building on his athletic career during his youth, he has managed to regain
his independence in all areas of activity. He now spends much of his time fighting for this to be a possibility for every other person with a disability.
He is a member of the EDF Youth Committee. Earlier this year he played a key role in organising the EDF Youth Conference 'Towards a Barrier Free Europe for Young People with Disabilities' held in Athens. Miroslav speaks and writes English, Spanish, Serbian, Croatian, German and Italian and is currently learning French. He is also currently completing Diploma in Economics in the University of Ljubljana.
Mr Alan Duffy
Alan Duffy is 18 and from Kildare. He was very active in his first years is secondary school, doing well academically and in sports activities and was told by one his teachers he was "university material"
. When he was 15, he developed symptoms of Schitzophrenia and had to leave school.
"I can't ever remember getting sick. I thought I was just like everybody else, I kidded myself into believing there was nothing wrong."
Ms Jane McDermott
Jane McDermott is 20 and lives in Dundalk with her family. She attends Inchicore College of Further Education, studying Social Sciences. She uses wheelchair for long journeys.
Mr Brian Aylward
Brian Aylward is from Tipperary and chairman of the Tipperary Network of PwDI. He is blind and has recently completed his second year of B.A. in U.C.C.
Ms Anna Shinnors
Anna Shinnors is 17 and a student at Colaiste Chiarain in Leixlip, Co Kildare. She was born with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus and is a wheelchair-user. Anna has had many medical problems arising from her impairments.
Ms Catherine Maguire
Catherine Maguire graduated with a Masters Degree in Business Studies from the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business. Catherine joined the IBEC Graduate Trainee Programme that year and was then appointed the National Work-Life
Balance Co-ordinator for IBEC the following year. Following this, Catherine took up the post of Social Policy Office in the Social Policy Division of IBEC and is now responsible for IBEC's involvement in nine projects ranging from ex-offenders, older people, travellers, work-life balance and disability.
Catherine manages Workway, the IBEC/ICTU disability project about the employment of people with disabilities.
Mr P.J. Fitzpatrick
P.J. Fitzpatrick is lifelong Public Servant who has served in many pivotal roles in four health boards and the Courts Service. Having worked as a Personnel Officer and an Industrial relations Officer in the North Western and North Eastern Health Boards Mr. Fitzpatrick moved to the Eastern Health Board and took up the post
of Programme Manager. During his time with the Eastern Health Board Mr Fitzpatrick was promoted to the role of Chief Executive Officer.
Mr Fitzpatrick was appointed CEP designate of the Courts Service in November 1998. His first year in the role saw him work with the Transitional board of the Service to bring about changes which would make way for the establishment of a permanent Courts Service. Under Mr Fitzpatrick the Courts Service is investing in a multi million pound Information Technology programme which will see the courts of Ireland operate in 21st Century environment.
Mr Allen O'Connor
Allen O'Connor (53) retired from a career in banking in 1992 due to MS. He was a member of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities from inception in 1993 to the production of the report "A Strategy for Equality" in 1996. Since then, he has been actively involved in all aspects of disability politics.
He is currently National Chairman of the Disabled Drivers Association, National Chairman of The Multiple Sclerosis Soceity of Ireland, Chairman of Cork City Network of People with Disabilities in Ireland and a Board member of the National Citizens Information Call Centre.
Mr John McCarter
John McCarter is a well known and successful businessman with long experience in the clothing and textile industry in the North West of Ireland. As Sales Director of his family company William P McCarter and Co Ltd he had a major role in merging the business with Fruit of the Loom International from 1987 till 1997. Since then,
along with his brother Willie McCarter and other colleagues, he has re-established the former family company.
During his business career Mr McCarter has given strong commitment to the industrial, educational and cultural life of the North West. In 1987, he was a founder director of Donegal County Enterprise Fund and has served as Chairman since 1997. Through DCEF he is also Chairman of Donegal Enterpise Loans and a Director of Donegal County Enterprise Board.
Mr John Dolan
John Dolan has been Chief Executive of Disability Federation of Ireland since 2000. He had previously had a long association, back to 1992, as a member of the Board of DFI. He worked for 20 years with the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA), and during that time gained a comprehensive undertanding of issues
across the sector, with a strong community development background commencing in 1980 as a Community Development Officer in the IWA.
He was appointed to the Board of the Eastern Regional Health Authority as a representative of the voluntary agencies. He is also a member of the East Coast Area Health Board, the Board of the National Disability Authority and the Board of the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities. JOhn also represnets DFI on the Disability Legislation Consultation Group. John has a BA from UCD in English and Economics, and is a member of the Institute of Training and Development, and the Chartered Institure of Secretaries.
Ms Claire O'Connor
Claire O'Connor qualified with a B.Sc. in Biochemistry in 1974, and trained as a chartered accountant with Cooper and Lybrand, qualifying in 1977. She worked in a variety of posts in the financial world including Esso Teo and Bank of America. In 1994 she took voluntary severance to set up a consultancy business.
She was trustee of a number of pension funds, a non executive director of ICC Bank for 12 years until its takeover by Bank of Scotland. She also served on the Board of the ICC Investment Bank and chaired the Audit Committee. She became Chief Executive of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland in September 1998, resigning in August 2001.
She was appointed to the Interim Board of the Irish Energy Centre in November 2000. She was appointed a member of sustainable energy Ireland in May 2002. She became Director of National Disability Authority in August 2001. She worked as SEcretary to the Advisory Group to the Minister of Health and Children on teh Risk Equlisation Scheme. She was a founder member of a registered charity EPIC, Empowering Parnership in Care, a Fried of the Parents and Friends of Cerebral Palsy Ireland, renamed Enable Ireland and a member of the School Board of CPI Sandymount.
Councilor Frances Fitzgerald
Frances Fitzgerald server in Dáil Eireann for 10 years. She was elected a Fine Gael Dáil Deputy for Dublin South-East on her first attempt in 1992, was re-elected in 1997 and is currently a councilor in Dublin City Council for the Rathmines Ward. During her time in Dáil Eireann, she was a Front Bench Spokesperson on Disability, Equality, Social Welfare, Arts & Culture and Defence. She has had a major influence on the shaping of equality policy in Ireland. She is a former Chairperson of the National Women's Council, the Women's Political Association and a Board member of the Employment Equality Agency and the Second Commission on the Status of Women. A graduate of UCD and LSE, she is a professionally qualified social worker.
Roddy Molloy
Roddy Molloy is the Director-General of FÁS. Prior to becoming Director-General of FÁS, he was a career civil servant, working in a number of Government Departments (Industry and Commerce, Department of the Taoiseach, Public Service, Foreign Affairs and Enterprise, Trade and Employment). During his career he was involved in a wide range of policy issues such as Industrial Policy, Trace Policy, Science and Technology and Labour Market Policy.
Mr Molloy is a native of Birr, Co Offaly and lives in Maynooth, Co Kildare. He is married to Noreen and has four children. He has an M.SC (Management) from Trinity College, Dublin.
Bernard Harbour
Bernard Harbour is Information Officer with IMPACT, Ireland's leading public sector trade union. He has overall responsibility for disability issues in the union and is a member of the ICTU disability committee.
Michael McDowell TD
Michael McDowell TD is the Minister of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. A Senior Council, he was first elected to the Dáil for the Progressive Democrats in Dublin South-East in 1987 and subsequently in 1992 and 2002. He was appointed President of the Progressive Democrats in February 2002. He chaired the Implementation Advisory Group on the establishment of the Single Regulatory Authority for the Financial Services Industry 1999 and chaired the Working Group on Company Law Enforcement and Compliance which reported in November 1998. He served as Attorney General from July 1999 to June 2002.
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