Latest news with #VisionIreland
RTÉ News
19-05-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
Vision Ireland converts 3 children's books into Braille and audio
Vision Ireland has converted three children's books, aimed at helping grieving children, into Braille and audio for European Mental Health Week as part of their Book Bridge Project. Launched in 2024 in partnership with the Irish Childhood Bereavement Network, the Book Bridge Project aims to convert existing bibliotherapy resources - books used for therapeutic purposes – to accessible formats so they can be read by children and parents with a visual impairment. Eleven books are now available as part of the project, primarily focusing on children who are dealing with the loss of a loved one. Additional resources are also available for parents and carers. Eleven-year-old Bonnie O'Meara has a vision impairment and has been learning Braille since the age of five. Following the death of her grandfather earlier this year, Bonnie began using the Book Bridge Project herself. Speaking to RTE news, Ms. O'Meara said the collection was "really, really relatable" to her own experience. "Recently my Grandad died and it's been tough, but these books have been really good to make me feel a little bit better," she told RTÉ's News2day programme. "The note in one is to just not think about the fact that he's gone and that it's really sad, it's to think about all the good times you've had, all the good things you've done and how he was so good to you, and what a good person he was. "Just to focus on the positives and not the negatives. That's a really good message. And it's really nice that they're in Braille so other people like me can read these books and get that message," she added. Bibliotherapy primarily helps individuals understand issues they are experiencing by normalising those experiences through literature and offering potential opportunities for positive change through those stories. For Peter O'Toole, Head of the Counselling, Wellbeing and Emotional Support Service at Vision Ireland, the project is essential in making "valuable resources" inclusive and accessible for a "regularly neglected cohort of Irish society". "Reading is such an important part of their upbringings and development, and it's a shared activity between parents and young people," he said. "Children have difficulties, whether that's losing a grandparent, going to school or things like peer pressure, so it's important that they have a resource to understand these issues, regardless of how they consume it. "We want to be able to say there's this great book if your grandad has passed away or if you're worried about school, we just think everything that's available for children across the country is available for every child across the country," he said. Lina Kouzi, Head of the Library Access Service at Vision Ireland, said the project has already had a "wonderful" impact since launching last year. "It's so important to make books available for children who are struggling with whatever issue it might be," Ms Kouzi said. "There's so many everyday issues that children might go through and they need help with and the bibliotherapy books that we have are a wonderful collection of titles in accessible formats that can help." The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse, Big Panda and Tiny Dragon and The Journey are now available as part of Vision Ireland's Book Bridge Project.
Irish Examiner
11-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Entrepreneur born with sight loss secures €2m to develop internet accessibility software
An Irish company founded by an entrepreneur born with sight loss has secured €2m in funding to develop AI software to make the internet more accessible for people of all abilities. Nexus Inclusion was founded by Kyran O'Mahoney, the former group chief technology officer of Vision Ireland. He has also held senior technical roles at Dunnes Stores, Ryanair, and AIB. Nexus Inclusion employs seven people and plans to build a team of 30 by the end of 2026, with roles currently open for developers, business development and marketing. Mr O'Mahoney was born with 17% vision. "I founded Nexus Inclusion to change the world so no one is excluded because they are different," he said. "It is my firm belief that technology and, more importantly, the emergence of AI is the next thing to change the world for people excluded from digital products. "If you look at the banking sector, it is still incredibly inaccessible, yet we have an inherent right to financial independence and financial freedom. Some elderly, vision-impaired or people with learning difficulties can't read their own bank statements. Nexus Inclusion's solution will help with this issue. 'The Nexus AI tool can summarise the key information at a reading level appropriate to the user in a format they are comfortable with. It automatically adds captions or transcripts and ensures that digital products work with assistive technologies. Every customer we onboard will make the world more digitally equal," Mr O'Mahoney said. The digital accessibility market is estimated to be worth €627m globally, growing to approximately €851m by 2029. Nexus Inclusion is launching ahead of the European Accessibility Act (EAA) coming into force on June 28th, 2025. The legislation requires all businesses trading in Europe to have digitally accessible websites, apps and online products. The World Health Organisation estimates there are 1.3bn people with a disability worldwide while as many as one in four people need assistance accessing online content. "We need to move beyond Digital Accessibility, which is about making accommodations for people with different abilities. As someone who has grown up with limited vision, I don't want to be accommodated. I want to be included in every aspect of life.' said Mr O'Mahoney. 'To me, this is inclusion. At Nexus Inclusion, our objective is to bridge the digital divide so no one is excluded.'
Sky News
09-02-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Ireland's first visually impaired politician resigns after drunk arrest
The first visually impaired politician to serve in Ireland's parliament has resigned from his party after being arrested while drunk on a Dublin street. Just days after being re-elected to the Seanad (Senate), Martin Conway admitted that he was arrested in the early hours of 22 January "for being in an intoxicated state due to consumption of sleeping tablets and alcohol". He said: "I was detained at Store Street Garda Station and subsequently released without charge a number of hours later." The 50-year-old member of the Seanad (the upper house) admitted that he did not inform his party of the arrest. Senator Conway was a member of Fine Gael, led by the current deputy prime minister Simon Harris. In a statement, the senator said he "would like to apologise unreservedly for this to my family, colleagues, supporters and my nominating body, Vision Ireland". He added: "I let myself down. I would also like to apologise to the members of An Garda Síochána [Irish police] for having to deal with this matter. "I have resigned from the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party. I understand that a disciplinary process will now commence." Fine Gael said it "notes" the senator's "statement, apologies and his resignation of the party whip", and confirmed the matter is now subject to a party disciplinary process. Senator Conway, from Co Clare, was born with congenital cataracts. He has been a board member of the charity Vision Ireland since 2013. The organisation has been approached for comment. His arrest took place just hours before the Dail (lower house of the parliament) met to confirm Micheal Martin as the new taoiseach, or prime minister. Chaotic scenes in the chamber over speaking rights led to that process being postponed until the following day. New senators were elected or nominated in an election in January. Just six days ago, Senator Conway said he was "absolutely delighted" to be re-elected and thanked his supporters. The Seanad consists of 60 members, who are elected to five vocational panels, from two university constituencies or nominated by the taoiseach.
The Independent
09-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Irish senator resigns from Fine Gael after arrest while publicly intoxicated
An Irish senator has resigned from his parliamentary party after admitting to being arrested by gardai for being intoxicated in public. In a statement issued by the Fine Gael party, Senator Martin Conway said he had been arrested on Dublin's main thoroughfare O'Connell Street on January 22 for being in an intoxicated state 'due to consumption of sleeping tablets and alcohol'. He said he had let himself down and resigned from the Fine Gael parliamentary party, adding that a disciplinary process would now commence. Mr Conway, from Co Clare, was recently re-elected to Ireland's senate, the Seanad. I was detained at Store Street Garda station and subsequently released without charge ... This was not disclosed to the party. I would like to apologise unreservedly for this to my family, colleagues, supporters and my nominating body, Vision Ireland Martin Conway The senator, who has a visual impairment, had been nominated by sight-loss agency Vision Ireland. In his statement, Mr Conway said: 'I was detained at Store Street Garda station and subsequently released without charge a number of hours later. 'This was not disclosed to the party. 'I would like to apologise unreservedly for this to my family, colleagues, supporters and my nominating body, Vision Ireland.' It follows reporting on the incident in the Sunday Independent which did not identify the senator by name. Mr Conway added: 'I let myself down. I would also like to apologise to the members of An Garda Siochana for having to deal with this matter. 'I have resigned from the Fine Gael parliamentary party.' Fine Gael said it noted Mr Conway's statement, adding: 'The matter is now subject to a party disciplinary process.'
