“Let’s not have a country of disempowered people” | Watch Minister O’Ríordáin’s speech at REAP14

Did you know that you can now watch Minister Aodhán O’Ríordáin’s speech from our Realising Equality through Active Participation (REAP) event last December?

Áiseanna Tacaíochta (ÁT) has now made the Minister’s speech available online – and we will continue to post presentations from other speakers at the event over the coming days.

The Minister, who holds special responsibility for equality issues, gave the opening address at REAP, discussing the importance of empowerment and of securing equal rights and opportunities for all.

He explained how Government is moving towards person-centred and individually-chosen support models, shifting choice and control to individuals and their families, where they rightly belong, and commended ÁT on our work in making Independent Living a reality for all.

Addressing some questions from the audience after his speech, the Minister also stated that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) should be ratified within a year, and that, in this regard, Ireland still needs to update legislation and the outmoded language within it.

You can watch the Minister’s speech in the video below, or, alternatively, you can read the transcript of what he had to say by clicking the following link: Minister O’Ríordáin’s Speech at REAP14