Independent People with Disabilities |
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96 Sean Costello Street, Athlone, |
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Tel: (090) 64 70044 |
E-mail: independentpwd@gmail.com |
New Website: http://www.independentpwd.ie |
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Company Registration Number: |
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C524496 |
Charitable Status Number: |
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20251 |
Solicitors: |
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Fair & Murtagh Solicitors, Tel: (090) 64 80700 E-mail: athlone@fair-murtagh.ie |
Accountants: |
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Hardiman & Co. Tel: (090) 64 74119 E-mail: info@hardimanaccountants.ie |
Company Board Directors
In Mid-January 2012 Independent People with Disabilities was formed. The members of the old Westmeath Network Committee of P.w.D.I. got together with Hugh Mc Guire and formed the new company Independent People with Disabilities Ltd. with a view to looking after the needs and entitlements of people with disabilities in the counties of Westmeath, Longford and Roscommon.
During 2012 we concentrated on building the organisation – this entailed getting all the paperwork completed.
In 2013 the organisation took off and we applied to register the company as Independent People with Disabilities Ltd.
We look after the needs and entitlements of people with disabilities in the counties of Westmeath, Longford and Roscommon.
We received Charitable Status in Mid-March 2013. This was achieved by our solicitor Mr. Mike O’ Reilly of Fair & Murtagh Solicitors, Northgate Street, Athlone. We would like to thank him for helping us achieve our goal of getting the company up and running.
We held an Extraordinary General Meeting (E.G.M.) of the Company on Thursday 27th May 2013 to elect a new Board and the New Board is as follows:-
Mr. Hugh Mc Guire was appointed Company Secretary by the members present at the E.G.M.
In Mid-June 2013 at the first meeting of the New Board the following officers were given their duties:-
At this meeting Mr. Michael Mulvey was co-opted onto the Board. Proposed by Hugh Mc Guire and Seconded by Noel Mulvihill.
Our membership has grown for the last two years by 15%.
Over the last two years we have been looking after the needs and entitlements of people who have been refused same by statutory bodies on an average of one to two cases per week.
We have been involved in the Disability Services & Information Open Day which has been organised for the last four years by the Disability Subgroup of Westmeath Community Development Ltd. for 2012 and 2013. This has been a great success for us as it provided us with the opportunity to let the public know that we are here to help them in any way we can and in so doing we have increased our membership.
In 2012 and 2013 we have been holding lip reading classes which proved to be very successful with an attendance of twelve people or more recorded on each course.
On October 30th 2013 we held a half day seminar in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel, Athlone on “You and Your Rights”. We had speakers from the Health Service Executive, Revenue Commissioners, Department of Social Protection, Westmeath County Council, the Carers Association and Mental Health Ireland.
We had a attendance at the function of ninety people, it was a very successful event as this conference followed on from the Budget for 2014 and those in attendance were given a lot of information regarding their entitlements and rights.
We would like to thank the Disability Subgroup of Westmeath Community Development Ltd. for covering a large proportion of the expenses incurred.
On 3rd December which is European Day for Disability. We held a half day conference on "Sport & Recreation for People with Disabilities and the Older Person".
Speakers on the day were: Ms. Marian Harkin M.E.P. Ireland's North and West Constituency who opened the event, Ms. Finola Colgan – Mental Health Ireland who talked about mental health and wellbeing, Midland Region, Eamonn Casey – Visually Impaired person who talked about how he got involved in playing chess, Nuala O’ Brien – Westmeath V.E.C. who talked about adult Education, Valene Mc Mullen who talk about the Irish Wheelchair Association and the sports that they are involved in providing for people with disabilities and Sonia Statum – who talked about Westmeath Sports Partnership.
This conference was opened by Mark Ahern, Chairperson and Mr. Hugh Mc Guire, Vice-chairperson introduced Ms. Marian Harkin who opened the conference.
She spoke about the work being done by Independent People with Disabilities and pointed out that in this day and age it was great to see that none of the Board Members of Independent People with Disabilities were in receipt of any out of pocket expenses.
Independent People with Disabilities would sincerely like to thank the following organisations for their financial support since its founding:-