Texthelp is a world leading inclusive technology company that helps all people to understand and be understood, which makes learning and working more engaging, and offers more choice to everyone in the way that they learn and work. Texthelp now operates in the UK, USA, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Australia and to date has helped … Continue reading Texthelp – making the world more accessible through helping everyone to understand and be understood
Case Studies
Publicjobs.ie – helping to make the Civil Service in Ireland more reflective of Irish society
Publicjobs.ie is the online portal of The Public Appointments Service. It hires for all areas of the Civil Service in Ireland today. With a remit as broad as that, Publicjobs.ie has taken a number of steps to increase the work that they are doing in Diversity and Inclusion and make the Civil Service more representative … Continue reading Publicjobs.ie – helping to make the Civil Service in Ireland more reflective of Irish society
Coaching Close To You – Empowering people and employers to reach their full potential
Melissa Roa created Coaching Close To You (CCTY) in 2021 as a way for individuals to empower, support and help you to “release your inner power and potential by growing your self-awareness and confidence to achieve your own goals”. By coaching a person through the journey to find what they want to do, to write … Continue reading Coaching Close To You – Empowering people and employers to reach their full potential
Brown Thomas Arnotts launches start-up competition Pitch’23
Brown Thomas Arnotts has launched Pitch 23. A competition for Irish start-ups, small businesses, designers, makers and entrepreneurs based in either the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland who operate within the area of fashion. The winning pitch will be given the opportunity to be placed in-store and online in Arnotts at Christmas and they will … Continue reading Brown Thomas Arnotts launches start-up competition Pitch’23
The Public Relations Institute of Ireland – making PR more accessible for under-represented groups
The Public Relations Institute of Ireland (or PRII) is the association of PR organisation in Ireland. PR is often seen as being elitist or for a certain type of person. However, recently the organisation is making a huge effort to change their demographics, to make employees in PR more reflective of Irish society. In addition … Continue reading The Public Relations Institute of Ireland – making PR more accessible for under-represented groups
What does your company’s hiring policy say about your company?
Employers For Change are one of the biggest advocates for hiring people with disabilities in Ireland. By giving advice and guidance to its employers on hiring people with disabilities, hosting information resources on its website, providing awareness training and maintaining links with employers who can employ people with disabilities, the programme has come across more … Continue reading What does your company’s hiring policy say about your company?
Count On Us Recruitment – providing mentoring to family carers and matching them to empathetic employers
Family carers are often forgotten about in terms of advocating for people in the Diversity and Inclusion area. However, Count On Us Recruitment was started by Fiona O'Neill, after her own experiences trying to find employment as a Family Carer, while sticking to the guidelines. The company now works with family carers to provide mentoring … Continue reading Count On Us Recruitment – providing mentoring to family carers and matching them to empathetic employers
Techstars Startup Weekend Women Dublin is back!
Hackathons are back! I was delighted to be asked to be a mentor for Techstars Start-up Weekend Dublin. The event, which is taking place in Accenture Song from the 24th to the 26th of March, is aimed at women who are interested in starting a business or being part of a team that will create … Continue reading Techstars Startup Weekend Women Dublin is back!
The Dyslexia Hub – A hub for people to learn more about dyslexia by providing young people and parents with accessible information
In 2023, The Dyslexia Assocation of Ireland, with funding from The Toy Show Appeal, lauched The Dyslexia Hub, a hub of information for young people and their parents or guardians to learn more about dyslexia and empowering them to understand the condition, in addition to providing information on technologies that could aid them and how … Continue reading The Dyslexia Hub – A hub for people to learn more about dyslexia by providing young people and parents with accessible information
The Menopause Hub – Helping women of all ages experiencing menopause and training employers on how to support these women
Loretta Dignam created The Menopause Hub in 2018, after going through her own menopause and realising the lack of support and information women receive about the process. Loretta and her team have now developed the company providing clinics for women of all ages experiencing menopause, workplace training and advocating for women experiencing menopause. The company … Continue reading The Menopause Hub – Helping women of all ages experiencing menopause and training employers on how to support these women
Little Fitness – An inclusive programme for all children and families living in emergency accommodation, or socially disadvantaged
Launched in 2021, Sinead Ryan saw the need for Little fitness after a chance encounter with a pair of brothers who were living in temporary housing and joined one of her fitness classes. She envisioned a programme that would bring primary-age children from homeless families together to learn about their bodies, health, and nutrition, and … Continue reading Little Fitness – An inclusive programme for all children and families living in emergency accommodation, or socially disadvantaged
Finedeeds – Creating a ripple effect of goodness for corporations, their employees, donors, and nonprofits
Launched in 2022, Pauline Kwasniak and Rajat Maheshwari conducted research with corporate CSR and social ambition managers and then reached out to not-for-profits to find out if there was a better solution for for-profit companies that match your organisation with verified charitable projects and reputable charities that make a tangible social impact in their communities. … Continue reading Finedeeds – Creating a ripple effect of goodness for corporations, their employees, donors, and nonprofits
Tackle Your Feelings, a campaign that is increasing the mental wellbeing of school students, professionals in the workplace and rugby players at all levels
Formed in 2001, Rugby Players Ireland’s remit is to act as the collective voice for professional rugby players in Ireland. A representative body at heart, the association also boasts a world-leading Player Development Programme (PDP) which has become a reference point for other sporting bodies across the globe. The PDP enables players to fulfil their potential both on … Continue reading Tackle Your Feelings, a campaign that is increasing the mental wellbeing of school students, professionals in the workplace and rugby players at all levels
Brent Pope co-founded Elephant in the Room, and he is hoping it will create a real conversation about mental health in the workplace
Rugby coach, TV rugby pundit, entrepreneur and TV personality Brent Pope has been one of Ireland’s biggest advocates for Mental Health. Brent and his colleagues Dave Southern and Eoin Byrne have recently created a campaign called elephantintheroom.ie. They are asking all employees to have a custom designed poly-resin model of a baby elephant in their office … Continue reading Brent Pope co-founded Elephant in the Room, and he is hoping it will create a real conversation about mental health in the workplace
Mentor Her – the Irish founded mentoring programme that matches Mentors and Mentees in entrepreneurship, corporate careers and self-development throughout the world
Katie Doyle was working in the travel industry until the pandemic hit. Katie had been looking for a mentor while creating her own business but found there was a big gap in the market for female mentors for young people. So, Katie decided to create her own 6 week programme where that match female Mentors … Continue reading Mentor Her – the Irish founded mentoring programme that matches Mentors and Mentees in entrepreneurship, corporate careers and self-development throughout the world
The NCBI working to reduce unemployment amongst the blind community
According to their own data “Of the 55,000 people in Ireland who are blind or vision impaired, just 5% or approximately 2,750 of those are blind. This means that approximately 52,250 people across the country have a form of vision impairment or are affected by sight loss in some way. The impact of vision impairment … Continue reading The NCBI working to reduce unemployment amongst the blind community
Access Earth – creating the world’s largest database of accessiblity information, so everyone can plan their adventures and experience what the world has to offer.
Matt McCann founded Access Earth in 2015, as he found it difficult to travel and ensure that the places he's visiting had the required accessibility information for him to access with his mobility aids. What started out as an idea in the Microsoft’s Imagine cup has now turned into an accessibility enablement platform that will … Continue reading Access Earth – creating the world’s largest database of accessiblity information, so everyone can plan their adventures and experience what the world has to offer.
The Code Institute – helping to bridge the skills gap for underrepresented groups in the tech sector
Created in 2015, The Code Institute is one of the most successful companies in the Edtech sector. It specialises in being a "a global leader in delivering coding skills that help people switch to a career in software development within a year. Demand for software developers is rapidly escalating as digitisation accelerates, and hundreds of … Continue reading The Code Institute – helping to bridge the skills gap for underrepresented groups in the tech sector
CWIT – An Irish company that’s reducing the gender gap for women in technology-based companies now, and for generations to come
A unique business, CWIT was created in 2009 by the Irish subsidiaries of Accenture, Dell Technologies and Microsoft in order to address the gender imbalance in technology companies. 13 year on, it’s grown to over 20 members, with most of the major technology companies in Ireland within that membership. The company is now on a … Continue reading CWIT – An Irish company that’s reducing the gender gap for women in technology-based companies now, and for generations to come
The B!G Idea – Equipping transition year students with a creative mindset to tackle the biggest problems society faces.
Launched in 2021, The B!G Idea was created by Kim Mackenzie-Doyle with a vision to challenge Ireland’s 15-19 year olds to learn new skills that would help them create ideas for solving problems in their local schools or communities. The 12-week programme looks at all areas of creativity. In 2022 over 2500 young people from … Continue reading The B!G Idea – Equipping transition year students with a creative mindset to tackle the biggest problems society faces.
Articulate Digital Business – Helping businesses transform their online presence
Vandita Agarwal always had a passion for story telling and creativity. Having qualified from college with an undergraduate degree in Delhi, Vandita moved to Dublin to complete her masters. Having worked as a freelancer, Vandita then created Articulate Digital Business. an agency that improves clients' online space through innovative use of new technology What was … Continue reading Articulate Digital Business – Helping businesses transform their online presence
First Swim – The first purpose built baby and todler swimming facility in Ireland
Colin Mac Andrias is a former diving instructor and course director at Professional Association of Diving Instructors. Having previously been based in London and Egypt, Colin sold his house in London and moved back to their native Dublin to create First Swim, Ireland's first purpose built swimming factilate built to specifically for babies and toddlers … Continue reading First Swim – The first purpose built baby and todler swimming facility in Ireland
Chiru making clothes shopping more sustainable, accessible, and enjoyable
Created by two NCAD students following an idea developed at a hackathon in Dublin, Chiuru is an app that brings fashion into the cirular ecomony by connecting retailers, particularly vintage, charity and textile repair shops, together with the consumers that want to end fast fashion and purchase clothes in a sustainable way. Having met the … Continue reading Chiru making clothes shopping more sustainable, accessible, and enjoyable
2GoCup- reducing single use cups and increasing sustainability in the coffee sector
You often hear of the problem of single use plastic. However another issue Kevin Murphy spotted was good quality compostable paper cups been thrown away by the consumer. He created 2GoCup a reuseable cup solution for coffee shops and other retail outlets to reduce the amount of cups going to landfill and increase sustainability in … Continue reading 2GoCup- reducing single use cups and increasing sustainability in the coffee sector
Down Syndrome Ireland – advocating for people with Down Syndrome, their families and professionals
1 in 444 babies born in Ireland are born with Down syndrome. Down syndrome happens when you are born with an extra chromosome inside your body. Down syndrome affects everyone differently, but it does have an impact on physical, mental, and emotional development and can be diagnosed with other conditions too. With unemployment rates at … Continue reading Down Syndrome Ireland – advocating for people with Down Syndrome, their families and professionals
Umoja linn creating a marketplace to make African fashions more accessible to the public
Co-Founders China and Liswa met while studying in NUI Galway. Having spotted a gap in the fashion market for African designed fashion brands the two women decided to create Umoja Production but later rebranded the company to Umoja linn (Umoja means Unity in Swahili, and linn means ‘by us’ in Irish). The pair have created … Continue reading Umoja linn creating a marketplace to make African fashions more accessible to the public
Triest Press – Giving employment opportunities to people with disabilities in Rosscommon
Triest Press is a social enterprise based in county Roscommon. A full service printing service the company specialises in employing people with disabilties. I interviewed Deborah Tierney Business Development Coordinator at Triest Press to find out more What's the Triest Press origin story? How have you grown since? Triest Press was set up by members … Continue reading Triest Press – Giving employment opportunities to people with disabilities in Rosscommon
ReFunk Upcycling – reducing waste by extending the life-span of furniture through upcycling and repairing.
Having met in Trinity College, the female founded and led company now specialises in repurposing old furniture Refunk Upcycling is now one of Ireland fast growing businesses in the area of Upcycling and Sustainability. Having been accepted into several prestigious accelerator programmes such as LaunchBox Accelerator Programme, Circuleire and ClimAccelerator Programmes, and took part in … Continue reading ReFunk Upcycling – reducing waste by extending the life-span of furniture through upcycling and repairing.
Rangam – Global inclusion job coaching service for people from under-represented groups opens in Ireland
The Irish job coaching market has gone from strength to strength in recent times, as companies increase their talent pool by tapping into under-represented groups. I have previously wrote an article for Thinkbusiness.ie about job coaching services available to people with disabilities in Ireland. However Rangam is the latest entrant into the market. ThinkBusiness.ie described … Continue reading Rangam – Global inclusion job coaching service for people from under-represented groups opens in Ireland
YourY Network is creating a community for social entrepreneurs through events and networking
Leyla Karaha created YourY Network having experienced some of the isolation founders feel when creating their business. The organisation has gone on to create 18 events and had nearly 1,000 attendees. With Your Network annoucing their first hybrid (in-person and online) event on the 28th of June 2022, I interviewed Leyla to get more background … Continue reading YourY Network is creating a community for social entrepreneurs through events and networking
Shona.ie Helping Irish teenaged girls figure things out
One of the most successful social enterprises in Ireland, The Shona Project works with schools and organisations for young people, to help teenaged girls to in their words “Figuring out who we are, and where we fit into this world is hard, and there are so many challenges; anxiety, depression, body image, self-esteem, boys, family … Continue reading Shona.ie Helping Irish teenaged girls figure things out
Good Day Cork Amplifying un-represented voices in the rebel county
To someone who may not be aware, what is Good Day Cork? What service do you provide? Good Day Cork is a digital magazine that amplifies un-represented voices. It was launched as a print magazine in 2018 through a crowd-funding campaign. Four issues have been published since Sept 2018. In 2020, we moved to the … Continue reading Good Day Cork Amplifying un-represented voices in the rebel county
TechForGood – Connecting the tech community in Ireland with causes they can empower
Tech for Good Dublin was launched in 2017 as a way to bring people together and explore the possibilities of tech for social impact. Since launching they have gone from strength to strength, holding networking events, highlighting projects with purpose and creating training and hackathon events. A recent event led to the development of online … Continue reading TechForGood – Connecting the tech community in Ireland with causes they can empower
What does a dyslexia coach do?
Neurodiversity is becoming an increasingly used term within the diversity and inclusion umbrella. Employment coaches are also becoming more and more common with in organisations that advocate for conditions such as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, ADHD and Autism. I caught up with Guy Brewer to find out what a dyslexia coach does and how he can help … Continue reading What does a dyslexia coach do?
Employers For Change – Assisting employers in employing people with disabilities
Employers For Change was founded in March 2021 and provides advice and guidance to employers who want to hire people with disabilities. We caught up with Christabelle Feeney, Director of Employers for Change to find out more: How did Employers for Change begin? Employers for Change is a project funded by the Department of Children, … Continue reading Employers For Change – Assisting employers in employing people with disabilities
Community Finance Ireland – Supporting social enterprise on the island of Ireland
Can you tell us how Community Finance Ireland began? A reduction in grants being made available to community enterprise projects in Northern Ireland and the southern Border Counties subsequent to the Peace Process, sparked a need to develop an alternative source of capital finance to the existing banking infrastructure, which for various reasons was not … Continue reading Community Finance Ireland – Supporting social enterprise on the island of Ireland
The Reading Academy – Providing extra resources to children who have difficulty reading
With over 45 years of teaching between them, it was while teaching in a special school for children with Dyslexia that Sarah Watchorn and Sarah McGuire realised there was a lack of appropriate teaching materials as well as a lack of trained teachers for children with Dyslexia. This inspired them to write their own programme … Continue reading The Reading Academy – Providing extra resources to children who have difficulty reading
Peer.ie – An incusive asstitive technology company for people with dyslexia and other intellectual disabilities
Graham Brocklebank went back to college in his late twenties too study, only to realise that the text to speech and speech to text software he needed hadn’t advanced whatsoever since he had last been in education. As he was studying Computer science in mobile application, he put together an app that helped him with … Continue reading Peer.ie – An incusive asstitive technology company for people with dyslexia and other intellectual disabilities
Professor Tom Cooney – Providing entrepreneurial courses for underpresented groups
Professor Tom Cooney is one of the biggest supporters of Diversity and Inclusion in entrepreneurship in Ireland today. Through his experience over 15 years specialising in working with minority communities, he and his team have provided entrepreneurial courses for underrepresented groups such as people with disabilities, immigrants to Ireland, ex-offenders and at-risk youth. He believes … Continue reading Professor Tom Cooney – Providing entrepreneurial courses for underpresented groups
Connect4Work Connecting those who have taken time off due to medical leave with the right job, not any job
Mary Finn started Connect4Work having run a pilot programme for people returning to work following illness or being on medical leave. It was here that she saw the need for greater compassion and understanding from employers while at the same time, boosting the confidence and self-belief of the employees. Connect4Work now runs programmes for those … Continue reading Connect4Work Connecting those who have taken time off due to medical leave with the right job, not any job
The Sensory Pod – selling sensory rooms to everyone from Irish schools to Middle Eastern Royal Families
Having left school at 14, Robert Byrne had several unique and interesting careers, before putting together a Sensory Room for his autistic son, he put an image on social media and was blown away from the response of other parents wanting one in their house. After deciding to create a company, he stepped away from … Continue reading The Sensory Pod – selling sensory rooms to everyone from Irish schools to Middle Eastern Royal Families
Her Sport – seeking equality and promoting female sport in Ireland
. In January 2020, Niamh Tallon and Mohammed Mahomed created Her Sport. A website dedicated to the promotion of female sports. Since then they have amassed a huge social media following, created a magazine and developed partnerships with the likes of Life Style Sports. I caught up with Niamh Tallon to find out more about … Continue reading Her Sport – seeking equality and promoting female sport in Ireland
MECPATHS – Teaching the hospitalty industry how to detect child trafficking
Founded in 2013 MECPATHS works with brands in the Hospitality and Diversity and Inclusion sector such as Dalata, PREM Group and colleges that teach hospitality management to detect and stop child trafficking within Ireland and abroad. I caught up with JP O'Sullivan from the social enterprise to find out more: To someone who may not … Continue reading MECPATHS – Teaching the hospitalty industry how to detect child trafficking
Migraine Ireland – Demystifying stigma’s associated with the condition
With a new CEO Pascal Derrien The Migraine Association of Ireland is providing information to those who have the condition, but also providing coping strategies to their support system (families and friends); as well providing workshops and events to the workplace, to help demystifying and bring more acceptance that migraines aren't just a bad headache, … Continue reading Migraine Ireland – Demystifying stigma’s associated with the condition
The Sanctuary Runners enabling Irish residents to run alongside, and in solidarity with, asylum seekers and refugees in Direct Provision
Following a long and distinguished career as a journalist Graham Clifford saw first hand, the plight of migrants accross the world. Always wanting to do something for them; and being a keen runner himself, in 2018 Graham created The Sanctuary Runners - where members of the local community can run, jog and walk with members … Continue reading The Sanctuary Runners enabling Irish residents to run alongside, and in solidarity with, asylum seekers and refugees in Direct Provision
Nook Pod’s – Inclusive enclosed spaces for workplaces and events
Having grown up in Dublin, David O'Coimin relocated to Bristol and then to The Netherlands, where he now splits his time between. Having always had an entrepreneurial streak, in 2015 David set out to create Nook Pods. An inclusive space for meetings or a quite area in offices. Now highly successful, in some of the … Continue reading Nook Pod’s – Inclusive enclosed spaces for workplaces and events
Alex’s Adventure – A social enterprise that gives non-judgemental drug education information to students, educators and parents
Having qualfied as an engineer, in Janurary 2016 Nicole and her families life was turned upside down when her brother Alex died of an accidental overdose. Nicole created Alex's Adventure as a Social Enterprise, to give drug information programmes to students, educators and parents, as in her words "in the years I've left school the … Continue reading Alex’s Adventure – A social enterprise that gives non-judgemental drug education information to students, educators and parents
The Dyspraxia Association of Ireland is heading in a new direction
The Dyspraxia Association of Ireland supports the 6-10% of the population that has the condition. Formed in 1995 the assocation is a registered charity and was created to raise awareness of the condition, ensure adequate funds are available to people with the condition, provide information and share and support networks, improve diagnostic services organised meetings … Continue reading The Dyspraxia Association of Ireland is heading in a new direction
jumpAgrade a social enterprise creating a revolution in education by making personalised teaching possible.
jumpAgrade was created in Limerick through two friends Padraic Hogan and David Neville. The founders orginally started out with a mission to democratise the grinds turoring system to make it more affordable for all students, now their mission has expanded to creating a personalised teaching platform to reach the most amount of students as possible, … Continue reading jumpAgrade a social enterprise creating a revolution in education by making personalised teaching possible.
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