Speaking Up, Reaching Out Group Visit Stormont

Finding out how the Assembly works and how it can work for them was the key goal of the Speaking Up, Reaching Out group last month.

The group, comprising adults with physical, sensory and/or learning disability living from Strabane District Council area and a selected area of County Donegal, spent some time in Parliament Buildings last month as part of their Citizenship Project.

Delivered by Mencap and Raphoe Family Resource Centre, the programme provides participants with the skills, knowledge and confidence to raise awareness and impact change on issues which affect their lives.

The group visited Parliament Buildings at the invitation of Michaela Boyle MLA, to highlight to the Northern Ireland Assembly the issues that affect their independence and human rights on a daily basis. Issues such as Employment, Transport, Health Care and Accessibility were key issues for the group and they asked important questions of the MLAs with personal stories to highlight their issues. The group also had a tour around Parliament Buildings and learned a lot from the Assembly Outreach staff about the assembly and the day to day business of Parliament Buildings.