The winners of the O2 Ability Awards have been announced, with 50 companies receiving an award for their commitment to creating opportunities in business for people with disabilities.

More than 100 companies took part in the awards process this year. The 50 companies who have received an O2 Ability Award are listed in today's Irish Times.

The winners, which represent a cross-section of business in Ireland, will attend a ceremony in Dublin Castle on February 15th, where six category winners will be announced and two overall best practice awards will be given, one for the private and one for the non-private sector.

The awards will be televised by RTÉ on February 16th.

The six award categories are customer service; environmental accessibility; leadership; learning, development and progression; recruitment and selection; and retention and wellbeing.

The judging was carried out by experts in disability management, equality management and corporate affairs. The final judging panel is chaired by entrepreneur Denis O'Brien.

The organisers say the awards have already begun to change the way Irish organisations approach the employment of people with disabilities.

Caroline Casey, founder of the Aisling Foundation and the awards programme, said diversity was now being recognised as a key driver of success in many businesses across all sectors.

"This is evident from the list of 50 winners. Looking at people's abilities rather than their disabilities has helped many organisations enjoy significant growth and profit," Ms Casey said.

O2 Ireland chief executive Danuta Gray said the winners were role models for every organisation in the country, while Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Frank Fahey said he would strongly encourage all organisations to follow the lead of the winners.

The awards process is driven by the Aisling Foundation and is run in partnership with disability management consultants Access Ability. The main sponsor is O2 Ireland.