Mei Lin Yap, I am 32 years old and has Down Syndrome.  She is an advocate and a voice for people with all disabilities. Mei Lin has written several articles for online magazine Frontline, Irish Voice of Intellectual Disabilities and is also the editor of Frontline’s social media sites. She enjoys public speaking and has been part of the Open Doors Initiative Launch in September 2018.  She is also employed by Trinity College Dublin as the Ambassador Liaison Officer at IDS-TILDA is a longitudinal study researching ageing in Ireland among people with an intellectual disability aged 40 and over.  Mei Lin says “My goal in life is to show the world what people with Down Syndrome can do. I like to challenge myself and push the boundaries. I hope to set an example that will encourage, inspire and challenge society to change their perspective in respect of disability.”

Chris is 36 years old and has been working in Social Care, specifically with people who have a disability for 11 years. Chris is currently the programmes supervisor for a high support service (Lean Ar Aghaidh) in Rehabcare Bray, Co. Wicklow.  Chris enjoys sports, especially soccer, rugby, running and gym exercise.

Sarah Kerrigan runs a social media page called troubleonapegleg. She created troubleonapegleg to share her experiences of inclusive physical activity and adventures in the hope of encouraging others in a similar boat to get out there, explore and see what’s possible. She has a BSc in Sports and Exercise Management from UCD and a diploma in Strength & Conditioning for Special Populations. She’s very lucky that her work is her passion and her passion is her work.

She recently finished up a five month contract on the participation team with Swim Ireland. The highlight for her was getting to run inclusive Pilates and a dip session with her childhood friend Niamh Cleary. Niamh is a brilliant and adaptable Pilates instructor. Together, they were able to deliver some fantastic sessions with Swim Ireland. They’re looking forward to running more of these classes in the future when the weather picks up again next year.

Off the back of her contract with Swim Ireland she was lucky enough to play a part in Cara’s Fit For All campaign in October 2021. She ran two virtual inclusive exercise classes during this event, and was also involved in the final webinar titled “The importance of inclusive fitness for people with disabilities”. She is excited to be back filming and working again with Cara for this Live Cast.