First forum for graduates with disabilities opens

A newly formed national forum for graduates with disabilities is to host its first regional event in conjunction with the University…

A newly formed national forum for graduates with disabilities is to host its first regional event in conjunction with the University of Limerick on Monday.

Eighty per cent of graduates with disabilities experience unemployment. "The staggering unemployment figure of disabled graduates and disabled people in general would be completely unacceptable and cause an outcry if it related to all graduates," said Ms Tina Lowe of Get Ahead.

"At the Limerick forum we are seeking to take positive steps to learn from graduates what barriers they face, especially at a local level. More importantly, we want to examine how we can work together with local businesses and employers to highlight that graduates with disabilities have many opportunities and skill-sets, previously overlooked", she added. The forum will focus on diversity and equality in recruitment strategies and in the work place