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Seanad
‹ An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

Sinéad Burke and disability advocacy

Summary

Senator Nelson Murray praised Sinéad Burke as an inspiring figure from Navan and highlighted her success as a positive example within disability advocacy.

As Senators, we come in here and discuss disabilities and advocate for people with disabilities. We speak of how much more needs to be done and how much more we want to do to advocate for these people. Today however, I want to talk about something really positive about an amazing person from my home town of Navan, County Meath. Sometimes I need a bit of escape time and yesterday I was checking social media and who popped up only the amazing Sinéad Burke, looking absolutely stunning in a black sequin gown by Christian Siriano. For those who do not know Sinéad, she is one of Ireland's most internationally respected voices on disability rights, accessibility and inclusive design. Sinéad was born with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism, and has spoken openly about how growing up in Ireland has shaped her determination to make the world more accessible and inclusive. Forget about the Kardashians, because for me, the person who stole the show at the Met Gala was our own Sinéad Burke from Navan. She has built a global reputation by challenging industries, governments and organisations to think differently about who society is designed for. What makes her work stand out is that she does not just talk about disability awareness; she pushes for practical, systematic change. Through her company, she advises some of the biggest organisations in the world on accessibility and inclusive design. This is what brought her to being a guest at the Met Gala. Just imagine. Sinéad spoke about the gala and talked about how important it was that there was an accessible step-free entrance into it. The Met has that historic staircase and she made sure that people with different abilities could go in beside it in another entrance, which was fantastic. It made it aesthetically pleasing as well. She became internationally known after a hugely influential TED talk on why design should include everybody. Sinéad has broken barriers in the fashion world. She became the first little person to attend the Met Gala. She has worked with leading fashion institutions to make the industry more inclusive. She is an award-winning author also, having written children's books. I would just like to say to Sinéad, as a Navan woman myself, we are unbelievably proud of you and keep it going.

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