IWA members complete Self-Advocacy Training in Ennis 

Ten members in Ennis have completed Irish Wheelchair Association’s self-advocacy programme, which supports members to build confidence and develop new skills to better advocate for themselves and others. 

IWA members John, Christy, Liz, Mary, Geraldine, Brian, Joe, Angela, Comfort and Desiree each delivered a presentation to a packed room at the final session of the course on Tuesday, 31 March. They were then presented with certificates of completion by IWA’s Head of Advocacy, Joan Carthy. 

Members’ presentations ranged in theme from creative pursuits such as sewing and quilting to sport. 

Sport, artwork and music the focus of Self-Advocacy presentations

John delivered a powerful presentation where he reflected on his experience of having open heart surgery, meeting former president Michael D Higgins, and visiting Florida.  

Christy kept his presentation closer to home – he spoke about his favourite place, Kerry, and shared how he ended up getting to see and lift the Sam Maguire cup.  

Liz shared how she embarked on creative pursuits after suffering a stroke in 2015. She spoke about the huge role sewing and patchwork have played in her recovery. 

Mary spoke about her love of country singer Declan Nerney, while Geraldine shared her love of quilting and felt design and showed those gathered some examples of her beautiful creations. 

Brian reflected on the huge role rugby has played in his life, from playing the game to becoming one of its biggest fans, while Joe spoke about the positive role sport has played in both his own life and in society at large. 

Angela shared her love for County Clare in her presentation by reciting a song about her illustrious home county called ‘Clare My Heart My Home’, while Comfort spoke about her love for her home country of Ghana and shared a bit about its culture and history.  

Finally, Desiree spoke about the huge impact volunteering with the Red Cross has had on her life, and she spoke about the organisation’s important work across the world. 

Taking part in the self-advocacy course has had a huge impact on members in Ennis, and for Liz, it’s shown her that she has the right to have her voice heard. 

“Every week that I came in, I was more conscious of what we had spoken about… It’s been a great achievement to be part of this.” 

She adds: “For me, going forward I would like to speak up for people.” 

Self-Advocacy training about building confidence

Edel Carey delivered the training over the past ten weeks. She says it’s all about learning to be more assertive, developing communication skills, and building confidence. 

“People can be a bit apprehensive at first but after a few weeks they settle into it. It’s a great learning experience because none of us think about how we communicate, none of us think about the different styles of communication – we just do it without ever analysing what we need to work on.” 

She added: “This group has been fantastic. It’s lovely to hear their voices, particularly speaking about their own experiences, because it’s a great way to learn about people in a group situation. I learned so much about this group in ten weeks and I know they learned a lot about each other as well.”