Scheme to promote friendship for students with disabilities

Ability West has launched two new youth programmes that aim to foster an understanding of intellectual disability focussed on the individual rather than the disability.The voluntary organisation is one of four national flagship projects to gain the support of the AIB Better Ireland programme. Minister Éamon Ó Cuív TD attended the launch, and praised AIB’s commitment as a fine example of corporate social responsibility. “People in the business sector are recognising that they live and operate in a community and what is good for that community is good for the business,” he said.The 'So Can I’ and 'Best Buddies’ youth initiatives were launched on Monday, and Ability West hopes that they will reach every secondary school in Galway during the next academic year. The concept of the Best Buddies programme was started by Anthony Kennedy Shriver in the United States in 1989. It pairs second level students in one-to-one friendships with students who have an intellectual disability.“It increases .....................