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Publication of our Government’s National Disability Strategy has engendered much hope and expectation in people with disabilities, their families and friends, and the organisations who support them. As a national umbrella organisation of voluntary organisations we have over the past while, become increasingly focused on the need for us, as a sector, to take stock of where we are at and to reflect on how, as service providers and employers, we should be configuring ourselves to meet the needs of people with intellectual disabilities going forward. We are strongly of the view that it is timely for us to embrace new ideas and new approaches and, as a sector, to be innovative in terms of how services and supports should be provided.

Accordingly, we are devoting this year’s conference to the topic “New Ideas – New Approaches – Supporting Innovation in Services & Supports to People with Intellectual Disability”. At this conference we will be pointing to the need for strong leadership in the management of change. We are fortunate to have on our programme a range of high calibre speakers, both from Ireland and abroad. We are particularly honoured to have Dr. John O’Brien from the USA to give our keynote address. You will hear about many models of innovative practice here in Ireland and also about creative thinking and ideas which are being implemented internationally. All will be cutting edge and will have the potential for learning for significant improvement in services and supports to people with intellectual disability.

We are taking a different approach to the organisation of the conference itself with a strong emphasis on audience participation, both in our plenary sessions and parallel workshops. The centrepiece of the parallel workshops will be a Generating Solutions Session which will be led by a Session Director. The thrust will be on developing solutions rather than gathering opinions.

Who Should Attend:

Service Providers, both voluntary and statutory, Support Staff, Policy Makers, People with Intellectual Disability, Families, Advocates and State Agencies & Departments.