Westmeath County Council, in conjunction with Westmeath Disability working group members, participated in the National Make Way Day 2022 campaign, which took place on Friday, September 30.
“Make Way Day” is a campaign that brings the disability and wider community together to consider the needs of people with disabilities in the public spaces we all share.
It is led by the Disability Federation of Ireland and is a unique collaboration across Ireland and the voluntary and local government sectors. But most of all it’s about people with disabilities.
‘Make Way Day’ is about making the public aware of an issue that is fully within their power to change. It’s about one impactful, co-ordinated and decisive day of action.
Leading the charge are people with disabilities, Westmeath County Council, Westmeath Community Development, Independent People with Disabilities, Athlone Access Awareness, Irish Wheelchair Association, Mental Health Mullingar, Airc Midlands and the local Garda. The organisations, armed with an online tool that was specifically designed for Make Way Day, highlighted obstacles that block the way and complicate the lives of people with disabilities.
“Hey, this blocks my way!” was the important message relayed during the day.
Access is the most basic of all disability rights. The public footpaths are for everyone, and we can all agree on that. In a wider context, this one day focused the mind on people with disabilities, their lives, and needs.
Athlone and Moate were two of the six locations targeted in County Westmeath during this year’s National Make Way Day.
