Westmeath Community Development, in conjunction with the Department of Social and Family Affairs, are organising a further services and information open day for people with disabilities on Thursday September 10 from 11am-4pm in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel Athlone.
Following on from the success of the first event in December 2008, held in the Mullingar Park Hotel, it was evident that there was a need to continue the event in 2009 in another location in Westmeath.
The purpose of the event is to bring together service providers and service users to improve networking between providers and provide an opportunity for service users to get as much information as may be available to support them and/or their families.
Over 300 people attended the event in Mullingar in 2008, and it is hoped that the Athlone event will draw similar crowds.
The event is being co-ordinated on behalf of WCDL and DSFA, by Susan Bray from the Congress Centre in Mullingar, who has a track record as an event organiser. The event is being co-funded by the LDSIP and Disability Activation Project and is one of the actions being implemented by the WCDL Disability Working Group, which is chaired by Hugh McGuire in 2009.
The Disability Activation Project aims to identify the training and development needs of people in receipt of disability or illness related welfare payments, assisting individuals in improving employability and quality of life, and helping in the preparation of career development plans.
The project has already run three programmes in Mullingar, and has recently commenced engagement with DSFA illness/ disability payment recipients in Athlone, offering comprehensive supports and services through collaborative work with the VEC and other agencies.
The Disability Activation Project office is based at the Social Services Centre, Bishopsgate Street Mullingar. Further information on the project’s support services can be obtained at (044 ) 9350510.
For further information on the Disability Open Day, contact Linda-Jo Quinn, LDSIP co-ordinator, at Westmeath Community Development on (090 ) 6494555.
