REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE NEW INCLUSION IRELAND PREMISES FOLEY ST
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE NEW INCLUSION IRELAND PREMISES FOLEY STREET, DUBLIN
Dia dhíbh a chairde. Tá an-áthas orm bheith anseo libh inniu ar an ócáid speisialta, ócáid stairiúil, seo.
My thanks to you all and especially to Stephen Kealy, Chairperson of Inclusion Ireland for inviting me to open these fine new premises. After some twenty-five years coping as best you could in the last building which wasn’t fully accessible, this move was hard-earned and will make a huge difference. Not only is the building fully accessible and ultra-modern but its convenient location close to all forms of transport adds considerably to its overall accessibility. So well done to everyone involved in making it happen.
The name Inclusion Ireland may be reasonably new but this umbrella organisation has been working since 1961 as a national champion of the 28,000 Irish citizens with intellectual disability and a mentor to the 160 voluntary organisations providing the services and support which ensure their full and equal participation in society.
There are many parts of the world where those with intellectual disabilities are neglected, overlooked or forgotten and there was a time when the same could have been said of us. Today a determined intellectual disability sector has challenged us as a society to do all that we can to ensure that no life is only half-lived or wasted through lack of opportunity, lack of choice, too many obstacles, too little help. The national response, both state and voluntary, to the Special Olympics World Summer Games in 2003 showed the overwhelming public support for a fully inclusive society. It showcased the talents of the intellectually disabled and it showcased the sheer level of excellence achievable when a nation pulls together for a common cause. It also left a legacy of focus on social inclusion, which you are now helping to drive forward.
For those who suffer disability you answer the question - does anyone care enough to help me to be all that I can be? For those who are carers you answer the question - am I all alone, is there no one to help? For our society you answer the question - what must we do to make our society fully, truly inclusive?
I have been fortunate to share many days in the company of adults and children with intellectual disability and the individuals and organizations who make up their total care system. Time and again, I am struck by the deep well of loving care that lies at the heart of the work and relationships, the huge pride in watching a life blossom, the enormous daily effort the work demands, effort that is so generously and unselfishly given. Inclusion Ireland is a critical part of the support system that keeps people and things going twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, year in and year out. You help to renergise and to refresh, for this is draining work. You help to befriend and encourage for this can be lonely work. You keep society honest and inclusive, for you refuse to accept anything less than the best for those coping with disability.
The journey to full social inclusion is a journey started and ongoing. Its destination is lives lived to the full through access to the best educational, recreational, training and employment opportunities – towards lives with scope for greater self-determination, choice and independence, a journey towards lives lived right at the heart of everyday community and commercial life, towards a world where the needs of carers are listened to and met, a journey towards a world where the capriciousness of life is not made more difficult by obstacles of prejudice or perception but where we dig deep each day to release and reveal the potential, the unique giftedness of every human being.
Ireland has an invaluable tradition of partnership between the statutory and voluntary bodies serving people with intellectual disabilities and their families, and the fluency of those relationships will be an important factor in how we cope with the increasing pressures modern life imposes on the intellectually disabled and their families.
Inclusion Ireland is ideally placed to guide our footsteps as we seek to find the flexibility, diversity and effectiveness in our responses which changing times demand.
There is an old Irish proverb which says – “two shorten the road”. Inclusion Ireland is about shortening the road to the best quality of life for those with intellectual disability. This new building is an outward sign of the inward determination to bridge the gap to that better life in the shortest possible time. I thank you for your commitment to that noble endeavour and wish you well in your future work.
I now declare the new offices open.
Is iontach an obair atá ar súil agaibh anseo. Gurb fada buan sibh. Go raibh maith agaibh.