A local story of independence, advocacy and practical change.

The FÁS Community Employment programme became an important part of WLIL's early development. It provided a route for recruiting and training people while also helping the organisation build the workforce needed to support disabled people in the community.

Breda Bennett was WLIL's first employee in her role as FÁS Community Employment Supervisor. The programme created employment and training opportunities and contributed directly to the growth of the organisation's Personal Assistant supports. WLIL continued to sponsor Community Employment schemes until 2007.

The photograph shown here is from a later FÁS presentation and illustrates the programme that began during WLIL's early years.

The PA model was based on supporting the individual to direct their own life. Rather than defining support only in terms of care tasks, the service was intended to enable participation in home life, work, education, appointments, social activities and the wider community.

Accessible transport was another practical barrier that WLIL sought to address. Around 1999, Limerick County Councillor Michael Healy presented the keys of an early wheelchair-accessible vehicle to Board member Liam Geary. Also pictured are Gerard O'Connor and Davy Noonan, Board members, with Sinead Hanley, Breda Bennett and Michael O'Connor. The vehicle represented an important step in improving access and community participation.

The premises provided office accommodation together with space for meetings, training and administration. Having a permanent base gave the organisation greater stability and made it easier to coordinate an expanding service across a wide rural area.

Anne Shine, pictured here in 2000, was a founder and long-serving Board member. Her contribution formed part of the sustained voluntary effort that helped WLIL move from a small local initiative into an established organisation.

The Service Coordinator role developed around the practical needs of service users and Personal Assistants. Coordinators became a central point of contact for organising services, supporting staff, responding to changes and helping ensure that the person's agreed support could be delivered reliably.

Over time, the role expanded to include assessment, care planning, risk assessment, service reviews, rostering, staff supervision, safeguarding and liaison with families, healthcare professionals and the HSE. That coordinating function remains central to WLIL today.

Certificate presentations were an opportunity to recognise the work and progress of participants. In this photograph, Michael Finucane TD is making presentations to participants in the WLIL-sponsored scheme. Gerard O'Connor and Davy Noonan represent the Board, and Breda Bennett is pictured in her role as FÁS Supervisor.

The scheme was important not only because it created employment opportunities, but because it helped WLIL build practical capacity during years when the organisation was still developing its service model and workforce.

Advocacy complemented the practical support already provided through Personal Assistant services. It recognised that independent living is also about having a voice, being listened to and being able to challenge decisions or barriers that affect everyday life.

Grace Moore worked as an advocate with the service. The initiative later became part of the wider National Advocacy Service for People with Disabilities. The photograph shown here is from the advocacy period and features Grace Moore with Gerard O'Connor and Donal Cooper.

Pictured at the launch are Noel O'Meara, Area Executive with the Citizens Information Board; Donal Cooper; Aidan O'Brien; and advocate Grace Moore. In the front row are Gerard O'Connor and Kevin Flynn.

The event represented an important stage in WLIL's advocacy work and demonstrated the organisation's involvement in disability rights and representation as well as direct service provision.

Lynda McElligott joined the organisation around 2007 as a Service Coordinator and later served as Service Manager during her years with WLIL, before leaving around 2020.

Breda Bennett returned to WLIL in 2008 as a Service Coordinator after her earlier work as FÁS Community Employment Supervisor. She remained with the organisation until her retirement in 2018, linking two distinct periods in WLIL's development.

The retirement photograph includes Breda with Trish Cunningham, Lynda McElligott, Margaret O'Brien, Trish Kavanagh and Laura Denihan, with Gerard O'Connor in front. It captures a team that supported the organisation through a substantial period of growth.

Pictured around 2012 are Tim Corbett, Anne Shine and Michael O'Connor in the back row, with Kevin Flynn, Davy Noonan and Gerard O'Connor in the front row. At that time Gerard O'Connor was Company Secretary and Manager.

The Board's role developed as the organisation grew, with increasing responsibilities for strategy, finance, governance, risk, quality and accountability. The direct involvement of disabled people in governance remained an important part of WLIL's identity.

The forum held at the Desmond Complex in Newcastle West was organised by Louise Gallagher and Ger O'Connor, Manager of West Limerick Independent Living. Participants included PA service users together with Personal Assistants and supporters.

The forum reflected a core Independent Living principle: people who use services should be involved in conversations about the issues that affect them, rather than being passive recipients of support.

The group included Patrick O'Donovan TD, Mary Geoghegan PA, Danny Noonan — a founder member of West Limerick Independent Living — David Noonan, and other Leader Forum members and their PAs.

The visit demonstrated that community participation was not limited to local activities. It gave members an opportunity to engage with national political life and reinforced the importance of disabled people being visible and represented in public decision-making.

Ben Lenihan, Donal Cooper and John Creedon are pictured here around 2015. Their involvement illustrates the continuity of service-user and disability-community representation within WLIL's governance.

Over the years, Board members have brought a mix of lived experience, professional expertise and community knowledge. This combination has helped the organisation retain its Independent Living ethos while meeting increasingly complex governance and regulatory responsibilities.

The redevelopment involved a total upgrade of the building and created improved space for service coordination, administration, meetings and visitors. The investment reflected both the growth of the organisation and its intention to maintain a long-term presence in Newcastle West.

The contrast between the pre-retrofit photograph and the current building provides a visible record of how WLIL's physical base has developed alongside its services.

The transition represented a significant moment in WLIL's history while maintaining continuity within the organisation. Margaret O'Connor took responsibility for operational leadership, service delivery, staffing, quality, safeguarding and the organisation's ongoing development.

Gerard O'Connor continued as an employee in the role of Financial Manager and Company Secretary, supporting finance, governance, policy development and organisational systems. As Company Secretary he is not a voting member of the Board.

Former Chairperson Ben Lenihan and former Manager Ger O'Connor are pictured at the opening. The completed building provided a modern setting for staff, service users, meetings and organisational activities while retaining WLIL's established base on Sheehan's Road.

The redevelopment also created a strong visual connection between the organisation's past and present: the same site that supported WLIL's earlier growth was renewed for the next stage of its development.

Personal Assistant Tina Noonan is pictured with service user and former Board member Leigh Gath in 2023. Leigh, who has since passed away, is remembered as part of both WLIL's service-user community and its governance history.

Relationships built through Personal Assistant services often extend over many years. Those relationships, and the contribution made by service users themselves, remain central to the organisation's understanding of Independent Living.

The organisation has changed considerably since the first meeting in 1996, but its core purpose remains recognisable: practical support should enable people with disabilities to exercise choice, maintain independence and participate in their communities.

WLIL is now supported by a voluntary Board, a management and office team, Service Coordinators and a large frontline workforce of Personal Assistants and Home Support staff. Accessible transport continues to complement these supports, particularly where transport options are limited.

The organisation continues to develop its governance, safeguarding, quality assurance, training and service systems while remaining rooted in the Independent Living principles that shaped its beginnings.