Spend a day in my wheels

Businesses across Cork are be encouraged to help Spinal Injuries Ireland (SII) celebrate its 30th anniversary this year by taking part in A Day in My Wheels, its most successful fundraising and awareness event to date.

A Day in my Wheels provides companies with the chance to engage in an interactive educational experience and provides a holistic understanding of the challenges wheelchair users face when it comes to inclusivity, diversity and employability in the workplace.

SII CEO Fiona Bolger said the annual fundraiser was a key part of SII’s mission in Ireland to create a more accessible and supportive environment for wheelchair users and people with spinal cord injury.

She said: “Inclusivity and accessibility is crucial in aiding people with SCI to return to the workplace, and companies need to ensure they are doing all they can to help wheelchair users thrive and feel accepted in the workplace.

“I would urge CEOs across Ireland to sign up to our expression of interest for A Day in my Wheels and join us in raising awareness of the issues faced by those with SCI and be part of the solution.”

The most recent A Day In My Wheels workshops raised over €30,000 for the charity last year, with the charity hoping to better that for 2024.

A Day In My Wheels typically takes place over a two-hour session and includes:

• Talk on inclusivity, diversity and employability in the workplace and what companies can do to improve their inclusivity and diversity offering

• Wheelchair Skills Training Session: SII Ambassadors will lead company staff in various challenges using wheelchairs (weaving through cones, going up and down ramps, navigating footpaths etc), educating teams in the many hidden challenges of accessibility

• Q&A: SII Ambassadors will sit down with the team for an informal discussion what life with a SCI is like, allowing the team to ask questions and gain a greater understanding of accessibility

SII is Ireland’s only support agency dedicated to providing a nationwide person-centred service to assist people to engage fully in society following spinal cord. Over its 30 years, the charity has provided services and support to more than 5,000 people with a spinal cord injury and more than 20,000 family members and carers. On average, three people a week sustain a SCI every week in Ireland.

Express your interest for A Day In My Wheels by emailing info@spinalinjuries.ie or by phoning 01-6532180.