60th Anniversary Celebrations - 26th May 2022

60th Anniversary Celebrations - 26th May 2022

What a day for celebrating our 60th anniversary! It was so lovely to to meet up with families, friends and supporters throughout the day. We had some very special guests visiting, Mayor of Galway City, Colette Connolly, Leo Moran, The Saw Doctors, Mike Denver, Derek Ryan, Sean Keane, Galway Rose, Claire Ann Irwin, and Ronan Lardner, and we thank them for celebrating with us. Huge work went into organising our celebratory events right across the city and county!! Well done to all the people we support and our frontline teams who have been planning and preparing for this day for quite a few months. It was a day of much needed fun after the last couple of years!! We look forward to sharing more news of our events in due course. Sincere thanks to everyone who supports us, we really do appreciate it. For now, here's a snippet of some of the parties.

60th Anniversary Mass - 20th November 3pm

60th Anniversary Mass - 20th November 3pm

Ability West are celebrating our 60th Anniversary with mass in The Galway Cathedral on Sunday November 20th at 3pm.  Refreshments will be available afterwards in The Ardilaun Hotel. This is a great opportunity to reunite with friends and colleagues; old and new. We would love to see you there!



PROJECT EMPOWER ANNOUNCE CHARITY PARTNERS AHEAD OF NEW YORK TO GALWAY ROW

(Galway, 24th May) Project Empower, which will next month see lifelong friends Damian Browne and Fergus Farrell row unsupported from New York to Galway, this week announced their charity partners who will benefit from their world record attempt. At an event in The Oslo bar in Salthill, Fergus Farrell was delighted to announce that they will work with the National Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation, Ability West, Madra and The Galway Simon Community as they set out on a challenge of a lifetime.


All four charities will band together to promote the Project Empower’s fundraising effort by asking people to sponsor each of the 5000kms of the New York to Galway Bay Row. Those wishing to support the event and their charity partners can do so by visiting: http://www.idonate.ie/projectempower2022

Read more here

#WeAct Campaign

#WeAct Campaign

We're excited to be part of the #WeAct campaign to highlight the work of our amazing #charities and #communitygroups. This is Janna who works in Croilar, one of our hubs supporting young adults with an ID to realise their goals and ambitions. We face a lot of challenges as a society, but we have so many opportunities for positive change. Our video

Learn more about the campaign at www.weact.ie #WeAct

#WeAct is supported by The Community Foundation for Ireland #RTÉDoesComicRelief Fund

Disability Capacity Review

Disability Capacity Review

Over the next ten years, the number of people with disabilities, their age groups, and where they are living, are all likely to change. Ireland needs to plan ahead, to ensure that people with disabilities can get the right services, in the right place, at the right time.

To help guide this work, the government has published the Disability Capacity Review to 2032 - A Review of Social Care Demand and Capacity Requirements to 2032 and a Summary of Disability Action Plan Framework 2022-2025 .

This report quantifies and costs future need for disability support services, in the light of expected population change, and the needs which are yet to be met. The Programme for Government commits to working towards implementing its recommendations.

An Action Plan is being developed to map out in more detail how to make progress over the period to 2025. It will cover the specialist community-based disability services supported through the HSE Disability Programme This covers supports like early intervention; specialist disability therapies; day services; personal assistance; home support; respite; and residential care.

People with disabilities will be consulted in preparing this plan.

Disability Capacity Review

We Act Campaign

We Act Campaign

We are delighted to participate in the #WeActCampaign which is national campaign to raise public awareness of the value and impact of the charity and community sector. We face a lot of challenges as a society, but we have so many opportunities for positive change. Through our charities and community groups, we make our society stronger. Learn more about the campaign at www.weact.ie. A video launch will feature a 'Day in the Life' of five charity and community sector staff or volunteers and Ability West was invited to participate. Janna Lindstrom, staff member, and a number of service users from our Croílar Hub were involved in filming a video. Please follow us on our social media channels and like and share posts/tweets.

www.twitter.com/abilitywest

www.facebook.com/abilitywest

www.instagram.come/abilitywest

www.linkedin.com/abilitywest

#WeAct is supported by The Community Foundation for Ireland #RTÉDoesComicRelief Fund

ASSISTED DECISION-MAKING (CAPACITY) ACT INFORMATION

ASSISTED DECISION-MAKING (CAPACITY) ACT INFORMATION

You may have heard some of our presentations in recent years about the Assisted Decision Making Capital Act 2015. Well now we have commenced planning the implementation of the Act in our organisation. A lot of work is underway and updates will follow in the coming months.

Further information will be shared in due course, however, there are resources available on the Decision Support Service and HSE’s websites, which you can find here. https://bit.ly/3b2i2MY

INFOGRAPHIC OF UNMET NEEDS AND CHALLENGES

We’re sharing information about our waiting lists, unmet needs and challenges which impact hugely on the lives of children and adults availing of our services and supports. We hope to influence in advance of Budget 2022 and your support would be appreciated. Feel free to share our post. #adequateresources #disabilityservices #LeaveNoOneBehind #waitinglists

APPLICATION DEADLINES

Please note the upcoming deadlines for some of our current job vacancies.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Checkout Brooklodge’s August/September Edition of their Health & Wellbeing Newsletter which has some great gardening tips, interesting recipes and wellbeing information.

Newsletter

INFOGRAPHIC OF UNMET NEEDS AND CHALLENGES

We’re sharing information about our waiting lists, unmet needs and challenges which impact hugely on the lives of children and adults availing of our services and supports. We hope to influence in advance of Budget 2022 and your support would be appreciated. Feel free to share our post. #adequateresources #disabilityservices #LeaveNoOneBehind #waitinglists

Slide1.JPG

Our Community Employment Scheme

Ability West has a CE Scheme in place for over 25 years. The scheme has been a huge success in supporting people returning to the workplace and giving opportunities to work in the health and social care sector. If you, or someone you know, is considering getting back to the workplace, would like to try a new opportunity or gain experience, please watch this video for lots of information about the scheme. Any queries can be directed to: Breda.Kerans@abilitywest.ie.