Down Syndrome Ireland’s Ability Programme is a new bespoke programme which comprises delivering post school Education to adults with Down syndrome and help in securing meaningful paid employment.

In September 2018, the Work Skills course of the Ability Programme was launched in two Dublin sites and they plan to expand this to the greater Dublin area in the future. Partnerships with employers are critical to the success of the Ability Programme. Employers are keen to be socially responsible, but may lack the skills and resources to make this work. Down Syndrome Ireland feels that a vital part of this work is creating awareness, delivering training and information to employers. The best way to deliver this is by creating additional resources and having them readily available online so employers can easily access them and thereby continue to break down barriers to employing people with Down syndrome in Ireland.

The DSI team has the skills to effectively deliver this programme and thereby enhance the lives of adults with Down syndrome, their work colleagues, families and society as a whole. The aim is to break down barriers, targeting 40 Dublin based jobs for the first three years, rising to 65 in year five.