On Tuesday, 04 November, a workshop was held in the Carmelite Community Centre to support the ongoing development of the Dublin City Disabled Persons Organisation (DPO). The event was hosted by the Dublin City Public Participation Network’s Disability Thematic Group (DTG), which has been working closely with the Independent Living Movement of Ireland (ILMI) to help bring this new representative organisation to life.
The DTG is already well-known within the PPN for its work across various Strategic Policy Committees (SPCs), ensuring that disability issues and lived experience are represented in local authority decision-making. The Group has also led public-facing initiatives such as Make Way Day and has published useful resources, including the Access to the Public Realm brochure, which highlights barriers disabled people face in everyday spaces. While this advocacy continues, the DTG has now taken on an additional, and significant piece of work: assisting in the establishment of a Dublin City DPO so that disabled people can organise collectively and speak for themselves as a rights-based, independent voice.
Tuesday’s workshop focused on setting foundations for the next five years. Facilitated by Peter Kearns from the ILMI, the session invited attendees to consider what kind of organisation they wanted to build: what its purpose should be, what values should guide it, and what practical goals it should work toward. Participants discussed the importance of centring lived experience, promoting equality and inclusion, and ensuring that the DPO is genuinely member-led rather than advisory or symbolic. The principle “nothing about us without us” was referenced throughout.
A key part of the conversation involved distinguishing the future work of the DPO from the existing role of the DTG. While there will be cooperation between both groups, each will have a different function. The DPO will act as a collective voice of disabled people in Dublin City which will be advocating for rights-based policy, equal access, representation, and accountability. The DTG, on the other hand, will continue its work within the PPN structure: engaging with SPCs, contributing to consultations, and linking community voices to local government processes. DTG members will support and signpost, but the DPO will lead its own agenda as an independent activist organisation. The DPO will eventually be a member group of the PPN!
Regular DTG members Mick Keegan and Martin Hoey attended the workshop and helped answer questions about the PPN, SPCs, and how formal representation works at local authority level. Their presence was valuable for participants thinking ahead to how the DPO might nominate representatives, respond to consultations, or participate in policy-making forums.
The atmosphere in the room was both energetic and hopeful. Participants shared ideas about what success might look like five years from now and that was ranging from increased accessibility in public spaces to stronger legal protections and greater visibility of disabled people within community life. The workshop also helped identify boundaries, expectations, and next steps, including future meetings, training opportunities, and ways to encourage new members to join.
Overall, the session marked an important and positive step in building a strong, sustainable, member-led Disabled Persons Organisation for Dublin City.
If you would like to get involved in either the DPO or the PPN’s DTG, please contact Mick Keegan at or Martin Hoey at