Make Way Day to be be held in Laois

Changing the small things can have a very big impact on people with differing abilities.

Laois County Council by supporting #MakeWayDay23 on Friday 22nd September, will help bring about this change, by creating awareness of the access issues faced by the people of Laois, as they go about their daily business.

Laois County Council has ambitious new plans in place which include a new internal Working Group, who are strongly committed to ensuring that we all recognise our shared responsibility, in ensuring that all of our people in Laois, are valued and supported equally. 

“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” said Wes Wilkinson Senior Executive Engineer in Laois County Council. 

“Having the opportunity to work closely with organisations such as the IWA, NCBI, NLN & Rehabcare Portlaoise & Laois Sports Partnership provides a unique collaboration across the county between Laois County Council, Healthy Ireland, Laois PPN and the voluntary and local government sectors”

A number of Walkability Audits will take place on Friday, 22nd September at the following locations:

• Portarlington (departing Portlaoise Leisure Centre at 9.30am) 
• Mountrath ( departing Mountrath Library at 10.30am) 
• Portlaoise (departing the Portlaoise Library 11.30am)
• Vicarstown (departing Vicarstown Community Hall 11.00am)

“We all have a role to play in making our streets easier to navigate” said Healthy Laois Co-Ordinator Emma O’Connor.”  The objective of these audits is to identify what works well in our neighborhood and what we can do to make our streets more accessible. 

Treacy Percy from Portlaoise  was born with a visual impairment. Her husband George is registered blind, and all three of their sons are visually impaired. “I am involved with Vision Sports Ireland, Special Olympics Ireland, the FAI, and I am on the board for FEACH, for families with visually impaired children, and on the Laois Sports Partnership board,” Treacy said.  

“Make Way Day is an opportunity to find solutions together. Changing the little things is so important and makes such a difference to the lives of people with differing abilities”.

Make Way Day is for Everyone. This is your chance to play your part.

For more information on this initiative 

Click here: https://www.makewayday.com/

ENDS 

Source: Laois Live for text and photo which shows a group shot of those involved in Make Way Day 23 in Laois.