News

A groundbreaking new national initiative has been awarded €142,500 through the Department of Justice’s Community Safety Fund to promote safety, empowerment, and inclusion for adults with intellectual disabilities.

The Community Safety Fund redirects proceeds of crime seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) and An Garda Siochana back into communities.

Dr Charles O’Mahony, School of Law, University of Galway, in collaboration with the Brothers of Charity Services Ireland (BOCSI), will lead the project called  PEER – People Educating for Empowerment and Rights: A peer-led programme by people with intellectual disabilities, promoting community safety, inclusion, and justice..

This two-year programme is the first of its kind in Ireland: a peer-led community safety and violence prevention programme designed by and for people with intellectual disabilities.

Over the next two years, a team of Peer Educators with intellectual disabilities will work with a project manager to develop training materials and deliver workshops to 250 participants nationwide, alongside 250 family members, service providers, Gardaí, and community representatives.  The programme will focus on building safer, more connected communities through rights education, leadership development, and collaboration.

CEO of the Brothers of Charity Services Ireland, Michael Hennessy said:

“This project is an important step forward in ensuring that people with intellectual disabilities are leaders in shaping their own safety, inclusion, and rights.  It reflects our commitment to co-production, empowerment, and inclusion that makes a tangible difference in people’s lives.”

Dr Charles O’Mahony, School of Law, University of Galway, said:

“Research has consistently shown that people with disabilities experience disproportionately high levels of violence, abuse, and crime, and yet they continue to face the greatest barriers in accessing justice.  Through my work I’ve seen first-hand that disabled people often have the greatest legal need but the least access to the supports and protections that others take for granted.  The PEER project is about changing that reality.  This project puts people with intellectual disabilities in leadership roles, it ensures that the solutions come from lived experience. This approach is also grounded the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which Ireland has ratified.  One of the rights under the CRPD is Article 16, which guarantees the right of persons with disabilities to live free from exploitation, violence, and abuse.”

The PEER project will also create a lasting national resource.  A dedicated, accessible website will host open-source training materials, toolkits, and evaluation findings, making the learning and research freely available across Ireland.    The project aims to fill a long-standing gap in training and capacity-building on disability, safety, and inclusion, helping communities everywhere to promote equality, inclusion, and justice.