No Barriers Foundation and DCIL's delight at Rethink Ireland funding announcement

Two of Donegal’s innovative organisations providing vital community initiatives for people with disabilities will be awarded a combined total allocation of €493,826 from Rethink Ireland fund.

The No Barriers Foundation in Letterkenny has been allocated €393,826 for its DS Champions Health and Wellbeing Programme, while the Donegal Centre for Independent Living (DCIL), which is also based in Letterkenny, will get €100,000 for its Access Officer and Leader Mentor Programme.

The No Barriers Foundation has designed the DS Champions Health & Wellbeing Programme in Partnership with Donegal Down Syndrome. The Programme aims to build the necessary skills and remove barriers to participation in exercise and physical activity in the community for individuals with Down Syndrome. The Programme aims to equip participants with the tools to create freedom of choice in their lives regarding their health.

DCIL’s mission is to support and empower people with disabilities in Donegal to achieve independent living and to actively participate as equal citizens in society by having choice and control over their own lives.

DCIL is starting two new programmes - Leader Mentor and Disabled Access - thanks to funding from Rethink Ireland. The Leader mentor programme will support new Leaders (disabled service users) on how to self -direct their own personal assistant service. This will enable people to have more choice and control over the service they are receiving and as such the lives they are living. The Disabled Access programme aims to highlight the accessibility issues facing disabled people in our community.

The programme will involve access audits of local community services and business, with follow-up engagement to try and improve accessibility of these facilities. Both the Leader Mentor and the Disabled Access Programme will be undertaken by disabled people within the community.

“This funding will make a huge difference to the lives of those taking part and their families,” said Johnny Loughrey, CEO of No Barriers Foundation, when speaking on what this funding means for DS Champions Health. “This person-centred, rights-based approach will create social inclusion and give individuals with Down Syndrome the freedom to take control of their health journey.”

Welcoming the funding announcement for the two local projects, local government minister, Charlie McConalogue, said: “The No Barriers Foundation and DCIL are two organisations who are doing tremendous work for the people of Donegal and the North West.

“I have been liaising with the Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Disabilities, Anne Rabbitte, in relation to funding for the No Barriers Foundation and DCIL and welcome her announcement. I will continue to liaise with Minister Rabbitte regarding future projects at both facilities. The work being done at No Barriers and DCIL is of huge benefit and will make a massive difference to the lives of those who avail of their services.

“A total of 20 projects are to receive funding totalling €3 million under this latest announcement. The No Barriers Foundation got the single biggest allocation, while DCIL is also getting a significant allocation of €100,000. These allocations represent a total investment in Donegal services of almost €500,000.”

“The No Barriers Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation whose aim is to create an inclusive health facility equipped with specialist neurological equipment that will allow anyone with physical and intellectual disabilities to train and improve their current level of physical and mental health. No Barriers offers one-to-one group rehabilitation support for those who have had a stroke, a spinal chord injury and functional neurological disorders, and those living with Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.

“DCIL’s mission statement is to support and empower people with disabilities in Donegal to achieve independent living and actively participate as equal citizens in society by having choice and control over their own lives. The organisation has been a huge asset to the county since it was established in 1999. I am aware of how important these facilities and services for the people of Donegal and the Northwest, and I commend the teams at the No Barriers Foundation and DCIL for their great work to date.”