In this workshop, we will explore disabled women's experience of being cared for by family members, friends, and other informal supporters.

Disabled Women's Experiences of Care and Support is a project by Disabled Women Ireland (https://www.disabledwomenireland.org) and the Disability Participation News Hub (https://disabilityparticipation.ie). Care and support are being talked about a lot in Ireland right now, with the 2024 Care Referendum and ongoing reforms to disability and care services. But disabled women and gender diverse people are rarely asked about their own experiences, even though many of us both give and receive care and support.

In this project we will have three workshops where we bring together disabled women and disabled genderdiverse people to talk about their experiences of care and support. You can read more about the full project here (https://www.disabledwomenireland.org/disabled-womens-experiences-of-care-and-support).

What we hear about in these workshops will feed into a report to shape advocacy for a more person-centred care system, and inform Ireland’s first review under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in 2027.

What is this workshop about?

In this first workshop we focus on recieving informal care and support. This means the care and support you get from people who you do not have a formal agreement with or are not employed to care for or support you. It includes care and support provided by family members, partners, friends, other disabled people or neighbours. It might be helping with everyday tasks like washing, dressing, cooking or shopping, or with things like filling in forms, getting to appointments, or just talking things through. In this workshop we also want to hear about the ways other disabled people support you with things like sharing information, equipment, lifts or money.

How will the workshops work?

The workshop lasts 3 hours with breaks, and you can take part in person or online.

At the workshop attendees will take part in a small group discussions led by trained facilitators. You only share what you are comfortable sharing, and you can skip any question or leave at any time. Attendees can choose to write down their answers or create some artwork instead of taking part in the faciliated discussion.

Please note that we will ask attendees and their supporters to fill out a consent form for taking part in this workshop.

Who can take part?

Anyone aged 18 or over who is a disabled woman or disabled gender diverse person can take part. For this project you do not need a provide proof of diagnosis to take part. You just need to identify as disabled person.

What accessibilty features are in place?

For those attending online, ISL interpretation and captions will be available.

For those attending in person, a quiet space will be provided, and you are welcome to bring a PA. Unfortunately we are not able to provide ISL in person for this workshop, and we apologise for this.

We can cover travel expenses of up to €20 for you and your PA if you attend in person. Please keep receipts for your journey - you will receive more details on travel expenses from our team by email.

Please let us know about any other access needs when you register.

We will send out the questions that we will cover in the workshop ahead of time, along with a detailed participant information sheet and a "Know Before You Go" Guide.

The event is being run by Disabled Women Ireland (http://www.disabledwomenireland.org) and the Disability Participation News Hub (http://www.disabilityparticipation.ie). It is funded by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC (http://www.ihrec.ie)).

Description supplied by the event organiser.