All those working within vocational rehabilitation on the island of Ireland or with links to Irish VR are welcome to join us for our network meeting. Eric Lambe from Step Up Ireland will be talking to us about self employment for persons with disabilities.

• Looking at the self employment supports for persons with disabilities in Ireland.
• Step Up Ireland- An overview of an organisation supporting persons with disabilities
• Looking at welfare supports for persons with disabilities in Ireland with a self employment focus.
• What’s available for persons with disabilities in Ireland currently and what are the gaps.
• Changing the narrative- Equality and empowerment focused.

Our speaker

Step Up Ireland was founded in January 2019 by founder Eric Lambe. The idea was borne from his direct work in the disability sector in Ireland. He found that many individuals with disabilities have immense passion and skills that are under utilised. While working with one individual to start his own business he was shocked by the barriers that this person experienced. What was most shocking was people’s perceptions of what persons with disabilities are capable of.

It was the disappointment and acceptance that this is ‘just the way it is’ that drove him to apply to social entrepreneurs Ireland Academy program. He applied and was accepted to their bootcamp stage. From there he pitched ‘Dragons den’ style for a chance to make STEP UP a possibility. He was selected to attend the Dublin Academy 2019 and has been working hard behind the scenes to make STEP UP a success while continuing to work in the disability sector which he loves.

It is not Eric’s dream that he wants to achieve but the dreams of the countless others out there that are tired of the status quo and want to see real and meaningful person driven change in Ireland.

Book your free place here.