Human Rights & Reconciliation Disability
Making Life Better for People With Disabilities
Republic of Ireland | Northern Ireland | 2000 - 2014
Atlantic’s grantmaking on behalf of people with disabilities has focused on ensuring their rights are being fully met and making the public and government aware of the discrimination they experience when their needs are ignored.
In both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, the foundation supported grantees to work with people with disabilities, service providers and government to design customized programs and services to fit the needs and abilities of each individual. Some of the work also involved helping people with disabilities develop the capacity to advocate for themselves so that policymakers and government officials could hear firsthand about challenges they face and what they thought were the best ways to address them.
What We Learned From This Work
Independent organizations can help government implement new, innovative policies and services and at a sufficient scale.
Advocacy organizations can be most effective when foundations provide support the groups themselves say they need such as developing specific skills or building overall capacity.
To produce the best outcomes, funders and advocates need to allow sufficient time and resources to effect substantial policy change.
Different Pathways to Success
Here are different ways Atlantic grantees have worked on behalf of people with disabilities.
Ensuring Compliance
Atlantic grantees, including The Centre for Disability Law & Policy, in Ireland monitored government policy to ensure compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The 2008 convention set minimum standards for civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights for people with disabilities.
Prevailing in Court
The Law Centre in Northern Ireland successfully sued on behalf of an adult with a learning disability who had been waiting six years to be moved from a hospital into the community. The ruling also mandated routine assessments to determine if other hospitalized adults would be better served in the community.
Developing New Service Models
In Ireland, support from Atlantic enabled Genio to develop a new service model that enables people with disabilities to make their own decisions and direct their own lives, and when necessary, with the assistance of an advocate or family member.
Here’s Who’s Helping Write the Next Chapter in This Continuing Story
Connect With Some of Our Grantee Partners
Helping People With Disabilities Produces Big Payoffs
Summaries of Case Studies, Evaluations & Reports
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Making a Difference in the Lives of People with Disabilities: Capturing the Learning from Funding on the Island of Ireland
Source: Morrow Gilchrist Associates
The Atlantic Philanthropies’ investments on behalf of people with disabilities living on the island of Ireland helped advance their rights and achieve community inclusion and participation, according to this evaluation by Morrow Gilchrist Associates. Atlantic’s strategy was informed by the need to implement and interpret…
Resource type: Research Report
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A Case Study in Policy Entrepreneurship: The Centre for Disability Law & Policy, National University of Ireland, Galway
Source: Susan Parker
Carefully researched studies are essential for advocates to make persuasive arguments to legislators and for policymakers to make informed decisions. But too often academic research is disconnected from the real world concerns of those who make or wish to influence policy. The Centre for Disability…
Resource type: Research Report
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Making a Difference: Capturing the Learning from The Atlantic Philanthropies Human Rights Program in Ireland
Source: Brian Harvey
When Atlantic began its human rights work in Ireland in 2004, it faced strong resistance at the governmental and judicial levels to the idea of setting down such rights in legislation. Still, the foundation saw signs that suggested that the right kinds of investments —…
Resource type: Research Report
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Republic of Ireland
This book tells the story of how The Atlantic Philanthropies’ 30 years of investments had an extraordinary impact on the Republic of Ireland—from helping breathe life into the nation’s university system and its research capabilities, to supporting major advances in human rights, and spurring the…
Resource type: Insight
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Northern Ireland
This book tells the story of Atlantic’s grantmaking in Northern Ireland, where it helped promote peace, reshape education, improve public services, and strengthen organizations to promote and protect people’s rights.
Resource type: Insight
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