Independent Living Movement Ireland

09/10/2026

We love this article by Kamil !

The Power of Human Connection. Article by Kamil Goungor 👇

Movements are not built only through papers, research and events. They are built by people who care about each other.

Before we can fight as a movement, we need to become and feel that we are part of one. We need to know each other, trust each other, share experiences and care about what happens to one another. And when that happens, I think we become much more powerful.

I was personally reminded of all this during this year's Freedom Drive. Just minutes away from an event I had spent so much time working on and preparing for, and for which I had been very excited about, I got sick. And I missed it…

Anyone who knows me can probably imagine how frustrating that was. Afterwards, a colleague told me, "Sorry you missed it, we know how much you like socialising". My immediate thought was: it's not socialising, it's connecting.

And strangely, even though I missed Freedom Drive physically, in many ways I still felt part of it. My phone and laptop kept bringing Freedom Drive to me. I received messages, photos, updates and even gossip. People who were there took the time to ask how I was doing. Others told me they missed me, checked whether I needed anything and offered support. Some visited me. I even got a gift!

When relationships are real, being absent from the room doesn't mean being absent from the movement.
Because the movement is also what happens after the conference finishes.

It is the dinner afterwards, the book exchange, the conversations that have nothing to do with the agenda, the friendships that cross borders, the person who notices you are missing, the message asking if you are ok, and the person who stays with you when you are sick.

Maybe that is one of the differences between an organisation and a movement. An organisation can function because people work together. A movement goes beyond that and becomes powerful because people feel that they belong together.

I missed Freedom Drive this year, but in a way, I was still there. Thank you for that. This is the power of true connection. The power of our movement.

Full article: https://enil.eu/the-power-of-human-connection/ 😊

09/10/2026

Budget 2027: ILMI responds

Following the publication of Budget 2027, ILMI has set out our response on the Cost of Disability, employment, Personal Assistance and the wider supports and services disabled people require to live independently.

ILMI welcomed the introduction of the new Cost of Disability Payment, but we are clear that the Cost of Disability cannot simply become a conversation about the size of a welfare payment.

Many of the additional costs disabled people face are created by barriers in society. Inaccessible transport, inadequate Personal Assistance, unsuitable housing, barriers to employment and difficulties accessing healthcare and other public services all have a financial impact on our lives.

Our Budget response builds on ILMI’s existing policy work on the Cost of Disability and employment and our consistent call for investment in rights, Independent Living, choice and control.

As the finer details of Budget 2027 are worked out, ILMI will also be seeking clarification from relevant Government Ministers on Personal Assistance hours, taxation and income thresholds.

We will keep members updated as that work develops.


Read more:

Read ILMI’s full Budget 2027 response https://ilmi.ie/budget-2027-cost-of-disability-must-be-addressed-through-rights-services-and-income-says-ilmi/

Read ILMI’s Cost of Disability submission PDFhttps://ilmi.ie/wp-content/uploads/ILMI-Cost-of-Disability-Position-Paper-.pdf

MS Word https://ilmi.ie/wp-content/uploads/ILMI-Cost-of-Disability-Position-Paper-.docx

Read ILMI’s Employment Position Paper PDF https://ilmi.ie/wp-content/uploads/ILMI-Work-Value-Recognition-2025-2030.pdf

MS Word https://ilmi.ie/wp-content/uploads/Work-Value-Recognition-ILMI-position-paper-to-inform-implementation-of-the-Employment-pillar-of-the-NHRSDP-.docx

ILMI RTE piece https://www.rte.ie/news/post/105003660/

IMAGE: poster with a hand holding a euro and text that reads "Budget 2027"

09/10/2026

ILMI eBulletin is on this link: https://mailchi.mp/2554b00f5fe8/ilmi-ebulletin-2nd-of-october-14773171?e=[UNIQID]

Have a great weekend from everyone in the ILMI Team



IMAGE: poster with a hand holding a euro and text that reads "ILMI eBulletin Budget 2027"

08/10/2026

It’s always sunny in Letterkenny, where our Onside Evolution Team member Mo Farah was out and about this week putting up some project poster in various community spaces.

Over the next three years, in Sligo, Leitrim, Monaghan Louth, Cavan and of course exotic Donegal - The project, will offer a six-week active citizenship and IT programme for disabled people aged 16 and over. The project will disabled people to build digital skills, social connections, becoming more active citizens and explore pathways to further self-determination.

Onside Evolution is being delivered in partnership with Disability Action Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and Supporting Communities.

More details on taking part in the project are available by contacting [email protected] or any ILMI staff member for further information. Mo, in Donegal can be contacted at [email protected]

ONSIDE Evolution is a project supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).

IMAGE1 and 2 : ONSIDE posters hanging on a notice board and a glass door

Donegal PPN Donegal Democrat / Donegal Live

07/10/2026

https://www.rte.ie/news/post/105003660/

Disabled community calls for further supportsDisability related costs cannot be addressed through income support alone according to the Independent Living Movement of Ireland.The organisation, which is run by disabled people for disabled people, welcomed the €500 Cost of Disability payment …

07/10/2026

ILMI Elevenses

There was plenty of laughter, honest conversation and mutual support at this week’s ILMI Elevenses.

The group celebrated Ciara and the fantastic response to her recent article about her journey to Independent Living and her involvement in the Housing Agency campaign. There was great excitement at seeing photographs of Ciara featured on campaign posters in Dublin and Cork.

Ciara also shared how much it meant to see her story featured in the ILMI eBulletin, which was particularly lovely for us to hear.

The conversation moved on to Budget 2027, with members sharing their perspectives on disability payments, means testing and what Budget announcements can mean in the reality of disabled people’s everyday lives.

The group also had some fun looking through the “Be Emergency Ready” booklet, before conversation turned to the increasing cost of groceries and, with Halloween approaching, whether it is rapidly becoming as big as Christmas when it comes to decorations!

As always, Elevenses provided a relaxed space for disabled people to catch up, share experiences, have a laugh and support one another.

Everyone and all our Team also sent their very best wishes to Shelly and hopes to see her back and feeling better soon.



IMAGE: Zoom screenshot of group

05/10/2026

A busy week in Brussels for ILMI’s Fiona Weldon

Fiona represented Independent Living Movement Ireland at the AccessibleEU European event, Building an Accessible Book Ecosystem: Publishers at the Heart of the EAA Transition.

The event, organised by and the Blind Union, brought together publishers, accessibility experts, European institutions, disabled people and others working to make sure the European Accessibility Act translates into meaningful access in people’s everyday lives.

Fiona brought the perspective and lived experience of disabled people to the conversation, contributing to discussions on accessible publications and what equal access to books, digital content and information means for independence, participation and inclusion.

Because accessibility cannot simply be about meeting a technical standard. It has to be about whether disabled people can actually access information, participate equally and make choices in our own lives.

And, as always, disabled people and our DPOs need to be part of those conversations from the beginning.

A brilliant opportunity to bring an ILMI perspective into an important European space and to connect with others working for meaningful accessibility across Europe.

Nothing About Us Without Us.
IMAGE: photo shows Fiona on stage on panel and on a big screen

European Blind Union European Commission European Commission Representation in Ireland

05/10/2026

In case you missed it: this one really matters.

The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has published General Comment 11 on Article 29 of the UNCRPD.

So what does that actually mean?

A General Comment explains what an article of the UNCRPD means in practice and what States are expected to do to meet their obligations.

Article 29 is about our right as disabled people to participate fully in political and public life. That means voting, standing for election and participating in political life. But crucially, it also means our right to organise collectively through Disabled Persons Organisations (DPOs) and to have those organisations meaningfully involved in decisions that affect our lives.

General Comment 11 makes some things very clear.

Consultation cannot simply happen after decisions have effectively been made. DPOs need to be involved from the beginning and throughout the development, implementation and monitoring of policy.

Having one disabled person at a table is not automatically representative participation. Organisations speaking on behalf of disabled people cannot replace organisations led, directed and governed by disabled people themselves.

And meaningful participation needs to be properly resourced. States have a responsibility to create the conditions that allow independent DPOs to organise, develop our own analysis and participate effectively at local, national and international levels.

That is hugely important for Ireland.

ILMI contributed directly to the development of General Comment 11 through our submission to the UN Committee, drawing on our experience as a national DPO and the development of local DPOs across Ireland.

For us, this is about more than having a seat at a table. It is about power, representation and who gets to shape the decisions that affect disabled people’s lives.

Nothing About Us Without Us is not just a slogan. Article 29 gives it substance.

Read our full analysis of General Comment 11 and why it matters below 👇
https://ilmi.ie/ilmi-welcomes-uncrpd-committee-publication-of-general-comment-11-on-article-29-of-the-convention/



IMAGE: Bold ILMI graphic highlighting UNCRPD General Comment 11 and Article 29, the right of disabled people to participate in political and public life.

05/10/2026

No More Excuses. Our Time Is Now.

What a whirlwind few days in Brussels for ILMI’s Peter Kearns and Pippa Black at the 12th European Network on Independent Living Freedom Drive.

Freedom Drive is much more than a conference. It is disabled people from across Europe coming together to learn, challenge, organise, reconnect and make our collective voice impossible to ignore.

There were new faces, old friends and that unmistakable energy that comes when disabled activists from different countries realise that, although our systems may be different, so many of the barriers we are fighting are shared.
And there was history there too.

Freedom Drive began in 2003 through the initiative of the late Irish Independent Living activist Martin Naughton. More than two decades later, there was something very powerful about Irish disabled activists again being part of that European movement, carrying forward the work of many Irish disabled activists who went before us and are no longer here

Peter and Pippa weren't just there to take part. Both brought ILMI's analysis and the experience of disabled people in Ireland directly into the European conversation.

Peter spoke during a challenging workshop on assisted dying, autonomy and disability rights. His contribution asked an essential question: what does real choice mean when disabled people still do not have equal access to Personal Assistance, housing, healthcare, income and the community supports required to live independently?

Pippa took to the stage at the Housing as a Pillar of Independent Living conference, sharing the Irish experience of developing the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People and the importance of disabled people and our DPOs being directly involved in shaping the policies that affect our lives.

Then came Freedom Drive itself.
Disabled people from across Europe gathered together and took to the streets of Brussels, marching from the Parc du Cinquantenaire to the European Parliament under this year's call:
“No More Excuses. Our Time Is Now.”

Peter and Pippa were alongside fellow Freedom Drivers before meeting with Irish MEPs to bring the Independent Living message directly into the European Parliament

From there it was straight into the European Network on Independent Living - ENIL hearing in the European Parliament, where the focus turned to something fundamental: how Europe's next long-term budget is spent and whether European money continues to support segregation or is used to realise disabled people's right to Independent Living, choice and control.

Three days. Workshops, presentations, conversations, a march through Brussels, meetings with Irish MEPs and a European Parliament hearing.

A whirlwind, absolutely. But also movement building in its truest sense.

Because Freedom Drive is also about what happens between all those formal moments. Disabled people meeting each other. Sharing what is happening in our countries. Learning from each other's campaigns. Seeing old friends. Making new ones. Remembering those who built this movement before us.

And returning home with a little more energy for the work still to be done.
Nothing About Us Without Us.
No More Excuses. Our Time Is Now.


https://enil.eu/freedom-drive-2026-opens-with-a-day-of-learning-discussions-and-collective-action/

IMAGE 1: Peter in action on the panel
IMAGE 2 : Peter and Pippa outside EU and Freedom drivers all around