'Our Health, Our Voices' explores health inclusion
Special Olympics Ireland HQ hosted a groundbreaking health inclusion event on 11 July, as the research team for the Rosemary Collaboratory project met with a group of Special Olympics Ireland athletes and family members to learn first-hand about their experiences accessing healthcare.
The Rosemary Collaboratory project examines whether the healthcare system in Ireland is accessible for people with intellectual disabilities. The data collected will be used to influence change to improve accessibility.
Small-group discussions gave everyone a chance to express themselves and discuss their experiences with healthcare. The day finished with a whole-group discussion on what came up, and what points could be put forward in the recommendations.
- ''Different doctors, for different strokes'' - athlete
- "The dentist didn't explain to me what was going to happen" - athlete
- "The dentist had signs saying they accepted medical cards, but when we went to pay, they said they didn't and we had to pay in cash" - athlete and parent
- "He (doctor) was rude…Telling my mam to leave, that's my choice" - athlete
- ''The system is totally broken, it's actually hard to believe" - parent
