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Making a Difference in the Lives of People with Disabilities: Capturing the Learning from Funding on the Island of Ireland

Resource type: Research Report

Morrow Gilchrist Associates |

The Atlantic Philanthropies’ investments on behalf of people with disabilities living on the island of Ireland helped advance their rights and achieve community inclusion and participation, according to this evaluation by Morrow Gilchrist Associates.

Atlantic’s strategy was informed by the need to implement and interpret new international and national policies, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The groundbreaking convention viewed people with disabilities as “subjects” with rights who are capable of claiming those rights rather than as “objects” in need of charity. However, little guidance existed for how to implement it.

The evaluation found that Atlantic’s grantees achieved the following:

  • Providing guidance to support the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
  • Reorienting European Union funds towards community-based care
  • Influencing the development of national strategies
  • Securing significant and strategic legislative gains for people with disabilities
  • Improving representation of people with disabilities and judicial decision-making

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This report was commissioned by The Atlantic Philanthropies.