COFACE member, Leap Ireland, is a family-led, non-profit organisation set up in 2012 that works with children and young people with disabilities and their families. They work with families, supporters, allies and their communities of place and focus their efforts on increasing expectations of what is possible in the lives of people with disabilities. Leap assists people and families in taking action on what matters to them and moving towards the goal of a good life, an ordinary life.
Leap helps families of children with disabilities to take action for an inclusive life. Concretely, this means that they support families in the process of moving away from an impairment-focused mindset and instead grow to develop a vision of a good life filled with relationships, belonging, and socially valued roles for their family member with a disability. With this vision and mission in mind, Leap has designed ‘The Leadership for Inclusion Series’ to provide a strong foundation to assist people with disabilities to live meaningful lives in their communities.
The Leadership for Inclusion Series consists of three weekends over six months and is designed for families, parents, siblings and other family members who are committed to community inclusion, want to deepen their understanding of inclusion and be part of a movement creating change. This series helps families, and their allies learn more about how to create change for more welcoming and inclusive communities. The first group of families is currently completing this series in Galway.
In 2025, the organisation hopes to partner with the Centre for Disability Law and Policy, Galway University on a report called ‘Good Lives Too’. This project will gather the inspiring stories of the remarkable people and families we support, to illustrate the choices families make and the supports they require when they decide to pursue a typical or inclusive life path.
Read more here.
