Ms Ellen Gavin:

I am from Ballycumber in County Offaly. My friend, Gary McCabe, is from Clara, also in County Offaly. We are glad to be here today. We are members of the Inclusion Ireland Midlands Conversation Group. We are here today together with three other members: Kellie, Darren and Rita.

I will tell the committee about our advocacy group and Gary will tell the committee about the work we do in creating independent living and work in our communities to be inclusive. I will then tell the committee what our group is doing in the community.

We have met as a self-advocacy group since 2018, the same year as Ireland approved the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The UNCRPD is discussed at every one of our monthly meetings. We are learning how our human rights are protected, how to use our voices to speak out and how to work locally and nationally with the Government. We use a one-page chart on the articles to discuss how our rights are supported by the UNCRPD. We use the stories of our own lives to discuss how our rights are protected in the UNCRPD. We have learned that our role as self-advocates is protected under the UNCRPD. Personally, as an advocate, I have learned how to speak out. I am a shy person, but in speaking out I can help myself and others to learn more about our rights. Now, I would like to hand over to my friend, Gary.