The Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) is a

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

that has been working with people with

physical disabilities A physical disability is a limitation on a person's physical functioning, mobility, dexterity or stamina. Other physical disability, disabilities include impairments which limit other facets of daily living skills, daily living, such as respiratory ...

since its foundation in 1960. It has 2,000 registered

volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

across its 32 volunteer branches. The IWA’s objectives are to advocate for the rights of people with physical disabilities by influencing

public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public p ...

, the provision of different services, and support to its members. The first chairman of the Irish Wheelchair Association was Fr.

Leo Close Leo St John Close (20 October 1934 – 18 January 1977) was an Irish Vincentian priest and Paralympian sportsman and organiser, who was first president of the Irish Wheelchair Association. Born in Drumcondra in 1934, in Dublin, Christian Brother ...

CM, a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...

user. The IWA provided resource and outreach services to 2,064 people in 57 locations in 2016.

References

External links

* 1960 establishments in Ireland Charities based in the Republic of Ireland Charities for disabled people Disability organisations based in the Republic of Ireland Organizations established in 1960 Seanad nominating bodies {{Ireland-org-stub