Ciaran Cushen
Ciaran Cushen is a Leader with Offaly Centre for Independent Living. He grew up in the UK and moved to Ireland in 1996 with his family. After attending boarding school, he now lives independently in his own accommodation in Stradbally. He works closely with Portlaoise County Council fighting for advocacy for individuals with disabilities, trying to better the community and make it more accessible for them. He loves to get involved and play for his local wheelchair hurling and GAA teams.
Since having his PA, he is able to be more confident in himself and he is happier around his home. He recently started a Transition Course with the National Network, which is a 2 year course included lots of different modules. He plans in the future to go on and complete his Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate in further education centres. If he has one message for Leaders’ or people with disabilities it would be, “Don’t be afraid to ask!” He believes that Offaly Centre for Independent Living gives Leader’s a chance to better themselves and live life with confidence again.