Stories of Belonging, Contributing and Connecting

About '19 Stories of Social Inclusion - Ireland'

• People with intellectual disabilities in Ireland are more likely to be socially excluded than other people. They are more likely to experience poverty, are less likely to be employed and less likely to be living independently in the community than non-disabled people.
• However, in spite of this, there are also people with intellectual disabilities taking part in their communities and living ordinary lives all over Ireland.
• This research aimed to give an opportunity for people to hear their stories and know that it is possible for people with disabilities to live ordinary lives in the community.
• This research is inspired by the ’19 Stories of Social Inclusion’ project carried out in Australia. Its approach was to start with the ‘success stories’ and work backwards to find out how people have created socially included lives for themselves.
• The reason for 19 stories is because Article 19 of the United National Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities focuses on the right to live independently and the right to be included in the community – rights that are most relevant to social inclusion and people with disabilities.