Joanne
O'Riordan

In December 2011, Joanne O’ Riordan had openly challenged Enda Kenny, former Irish Taoiseach, on a cut he and his government were going to make in their 2011 Irish Budget to the disability payments. The intended cut was reversed, and as a result, Joanne was invited to speak on The Late Late Show with Ryan Tubridy.

 

Following the success of her first live TV appearance, in 2012, and just days after her sixteenth birthday, Joanne was invited to the United Nations in New York, where she gave a keynote address to the world’s leading women in technology.

 

That same year in 2012, Joanne was the recipient of a Rehab Young Person of the Year Award for highlighting the needs of people with disabilities and showcasing the endless possibilities in your life.

 

In 2014 her life story was made into a feature-length documentary entitled “No Limbs No Limits” directed and produced by her filmmaking brother Steven O’ Riordan. “No Limbs No Limits” is for sale and can be purchased by clicking this link

 

On top of that, on the 24th April 2014 and on her 18th birthday she was invited to meet with Irish President Michael D Higgins at his official residence in Áras an Uachtaráin as a formal acknowledgement for my ongoing work in the field of disabilities. 

 

Joanne has also been honoured with a very prestigious JCI Top Outstanding Young Person of the World. She was invited to Japan to accept this fantastic award and will put the ideology of “it is not the disability, it is the ability” on a global scale.

 

Joanne O’ Riordan was also a features columnist with The Irish Examiner from 2012 – 2014, and currently writes a sports column every Thursday in The Irish Times.