Dublin Panel Discussion -

Hi Everyone !                                                                                               February 2nd 2015

This is a run down of Capacity2Change's first big night out,  also known as our Dublin panel discussion . The event marked a big leap forward for Capacity2Change but first let's take a quick look at the lead up to what was a very successful night in Trinity.

Last term, could be conceptualised as a narrow lens view of the campaign's message - with Patricia and I travelling to each university in Dublin, as well as NUI Maynooth and our own home branch in Wexford with a presentation and motions for debate on the Capacity Bill. We wanted to get the basics out there in terms of capacity legislation. We also took a lot of time to set clear principles and objectives for the campaign, and we met with a number of politicians and advocacy groups, whose advice was indispensable and much needed in terms of growing the campaign. Publication of my article in the University Times was also a great help in that regard.  http://www.universitytimes.ie/?p=31888 .

So what next? Clearly, in 2015, we felt  the time had come to bring in the experts  and get a more wide angle lens view of capacity as it relates to law, advocacy, healthcare and equality. We wanted to facilitate an event where experts could present their knowledge and answer some of the more technical questions that are associated with this piece of legislation. With that in mind, nothing seemed more fitting than a panel discussion, which took place on Monday February 2nd 2015 in Ui Chadhain Theatre Trinity College.

 To say it exceeded our expectation would be an understatement - on so many levels. The event was attended by about 90 students from  Dublin and further afield, members and non members of Young Fine Gael.

As Angela Edghill of the Irish Hospice Foundation, told us on her way out during the event, she heard agirl on the phone  "Oh, no I can't come yet, I'm at this Young Fine Gael thing .... Yeah, I'm not in YFG  but it's really really good, I'll see you later". So, it's really encouraging to know that our message has an appeal to people outside of political organisations. It's a human rights issue if anything.


And here's a quick run down on the esteemed panellists who were in attendance  all of whom contributed wonderfully to the event.

1.Ms. Patricia Rickard Clarke: Ms. Clarke is Chair of The Law Society's - Mental Health and Capacity Task Force. She is also a former Commissioner of the Law Reform Commission and has contributed extensively to the legislative process involved in the Capacity Bill .
 





2. Dr. Maria Walls - a researcher at Trinity College Dublin, and a former Director of Research and Policy Development at the National Federation of Voluntary Bodies. She began her professional life as a social work and her doctoral dissertation is based on the implementation of the UN Disability Convention 2006.

  3. Mr. Paddy Connolly  - CEO of Inclusion Ireland  . Mr. Connolly has regularly appeared on Prime Time the Front Line and other current affairs programmes as an advocate for people with intellectual disabilities and their families - most recently in relation to the Aras Attracta Prime Time Investigation.



4. Mr. Pat Clarke - CEO of Down Syndrome Ireland - has over three decades of experience in advocacy for people with intellectual disabilities. His campaigning work has directly contributed to a change in national legislation, giving rights and resources to children with Down syndrome in the area of mainstream education. Mr. Clarke  has also fostered and promoted medical research in conjunction with The National Children’s Hospital, Ireland in collaboration with the Department of Paediatrics, University of Dublin, Trinity College, which led to the development and publication of consensus medical management guidelines for children and adolescents with Down syndrome in Ireland.

After the talk,  panellists then engaged in a question and answer session with guests.

In hindsight, this event was a huge step forward for Capacity2Change. It was also a slight leap of faith for Patricia and I , considering how specialised the topic of capacity legislation is , and to see so many of our peers, fellow students and interested parties there in attendance is a testament to just how important this piece of legislation is and the appetite that is out there to know more about it. We will endeavour to keep spreading the message but it means a lot when such passion and interest is acknowledged and reciprocated by peers, so thank you ! Thank you to our wonderful panel! Thank you to everyone who got in touch with questions, requests and good wishes afterwards too.

Of course a picture's worth a thousand words, I'll let the photos below tell the rest of the story.
In our next post, we'll be giving you all the news from our evening in Cork with Minister Kathleen Lynch..... but in a slightly alternative format to what we're used to.

Best Wishes,
Rachel.