Active Disability Ireland Conference 2025
Key Summary:
- Largest conference attendance to date
- Panel discussion: influencing systems with Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport Charlie McConalogue, Geraldine McTavish (Sport Ireland’s Disability Sport Inclusion Lead) and Adam Harris (AsIAm Founder & CEO)
- Keynote Speaker: Welsh actor, presenter and disability advocate Jay Lusted on challenging the barriers surrounding disability
- Active Disability Ambassadors Liam Beville on overcoming his challenges which led to remarkable powerlifting success and Chloe Whelan on making history as the first World Irish Dancing Champion with a vision impairment
- Sightless cinema; audience sensory experience performed by people with vision impairments and blindness
- Rob Hartnett’s unscripted conversations with para-athlete Melanie Griffith, Paralympian para archer Kerrie Leonard and Munro Ruigrok, who recently completed the Dublin City marathon in complete silence to raise awareness for the deaf community
- Swimmer Dr. Mei Lin Yap closes the conference announcing her most recent accomplishment; being awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by Trinity College Dublin before delivering a message on the power of inclusion in our society
Active Disability Ireland welcomed attendees to its largest national conference to date to drive conversations surrounding participation levels in sport and physical activity amongst people with disabilities. An influential lineup of speakers brought the theme of this year’s conference to life, ‘Influencing and Challenging’; the day hosted discussions about national level commitment, welcomed engaging speakers, and challenged the barriers faced by people with disabilities and all who work within the sector. The audience was tasked to challenge the status quo, appointing everyone in the room and beyond as an influencer of inclusion and a catalyst for change.
The morning session opened with Minister Charlie McConalogue, Geraldine McTavish and Adam Harrisdiscussing national commitment to driving inclusion in sport and the importance of visibility and representation
of people with disabilities within the world of sport. The event connected people in the disability sports sector,
with Geraline McTavish highlighting the importance of that network, sharing, “I got to network with so many
people in the sector, from national governing bodies, to local sports partnerships, to services. I also got to
meet people and talk to them about the work they are doing at grassroots level.”
Reflecting on the day, CEO Brenda O’Donnell added, “It gives us an opportunity to set that fire again within people, to look at what they’re doing and to go out there and lead with inclusion.”
Following the panel discussion, MC Joanne Murphy invited Liam Beville onstage, who has recently joined us as an ambassador, to share a personal story of resilience competing in mainstream sport as a person with a disability. Liam holds a Guinness World Record and is 6 time World Champion amongst his other successes. Liam’s message to the audience was, “No matter your situation, if you can remain mentally strong, you can do anything. You can’t change the fact that you have a disability – don’t label yourself and don’t accept the labels that people put on you.”
Jay Lusted delivered an engaging keynote speech, sharing “Being a keynote speaker at an event like this is a real honour,”emphasising that events such as the conference “are not about correcting people, it’s about connecting
with people to see that change.”
Ambassador Chloe Whelan delivered an impactful piece on resilience which led her to make history by becoming the first World Irish Dancing Champion. Drawing on her lived experience, Chloe spoke of the challenges, sharing “People with disabilities have so many challenges that they have to go through” adding, “it’s really important that we do have that resilience built up in us already.”
The Sightless Cinema brought their performance outside of the theatre for the first time, giving our attendees a unique experience of surround sound audio theatre performed by people with blindness and vision impairment.
Rob Hartnett brought curiosity to the stage for an unrehearsed and unscripted segment to uncover para-athlete Melanie Griffith’s story, followed by Paralympian Kerrie Leonard and closing out the segment with Munro Ruigrok, who recently completed the Dublin City Marathon in complete silence to raise awareness for the deaf community and Chime.
The closing words belonged to Mei Lin Yap, who took to the podium to share a remarkable achievement; Mei Lin was recently awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Trinity College Dublin. Mei Lin is an advocate for people with intellectual disabilities, who is also an accomplished swimmer having represented Ireland on the world stage, and a World Down Syndrome Swimming Championships medallist. Mei Lin closed out the event reminding the audience, “Inclusion is not just being invited to the table – it’s having a voice at the table.”
Active Disability Ireland Conference Images
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