Active Disability Ireland hosted their Active Disability Services Awards on Friday 22nd March 2024. The awards recognise and reward Disability Services and individuals with disabilities throughout Ireland who have shown leadership and commitment to helping people with disabilities stay active and healthy.
Supported by the HSE Health & Wellbeing, HSE Disability Services and Sport Ireland, it is a celebration of how people within disability services across Ireland prioritise, encourage, facilitate and create physical activity programmes and healthy lifestyle initiatives for people with disabilities.
The awards champion the innovative physical activity, health promotion and community inclusion initiatives that have arisen as a result of the service engaging with ‘Active Healthy Me’ programme. Active healthy me aims to empower people with disabilities to take control of their own health & wellbeing through an online education programme.
To date over 420 disability services are enrolled on Active Healthy me and it is supported by HP&I staff in the community who deliver support sessions and workshops for disability service staff. This is part of wider work to integrate health and wellbeing into disability services.
8 category awards were presented on the day, highlighting areas of excellence through programme initiatives including outstanding physical activity programme, health promotion initiatives and community inclusion collaboration projects.
The Winners were
- Cumas, New Ross Co. Wexford -Best Physical Activity Initiative
- Streetwise Brothers of Charity,Ennis Co Clare – Best Outdoor Activity Initiative.
- Rehab Care, Blennerville Co Kerry – Best Healthy Lifestyle Initiative
- St. Michael’s House Dublin – Best Community Engagement Initiative
- Martin McLoughlin from HSE Ballytivnan Resource Centre – Active Champion Male Award
- Ruth Barron, Stewarts Care – Co. Dublin – Active Champion Female Award
- Rebecca Allen, North West Parents and Friends Association, Co Leitrim – Best Active Healthy Me Staff Lead category.
- St. Michael’s House, Dublin – Best Disability Organisation Senior Management.
For more information:
Active Disability Ireland Awards https://activedisability.ie/active-disability-services-awards-2023/
Resources:
Active Lifestyles for people with disabilities – Talking Health and Wellbeing Podcast
In this episode, host Noreen Turley meets with Brenda O’Donnell and Lauren Watters from Active Disability Ireland to discuss their work underway in promoting active lifestyles for people with disabilities. They tell us about the Active Healthy Me programme, which aims to empower people with disabilities to take control of their own health & wellbeing through an online education programme. We also hear about the Sport Inclusion Disability Charter, outlining five key areas people with disabilities are asking all organisations to consider in making active and healthy lifestyles possible for them. We hear about the importance of inclusive policies and a person-first approach, and highlight the challenges faced in youth sports participation and the need for consultation. Brenda outlines future goals, including expanding into education and the collaboration with services across Ireland to update national physical activity guidelines. The episode concludes with a testimonial from Antoinette, emphasising the positive impact of staying active.
