Niamh is a daughter, sister, friend, toastmaster, yogi, cyclist, also legally blind. I’m from Ireland and work as an Executive Officer currently within the Civil service.
Growing up sport was always and continues to play an important part in my life. From a young age I competed in swimming, participated in other sports such as running, taekwondo, cycling and triathlon to name a few. These sports are still areas I’m involved in and continue to participate in today. I’ve also achieved my 1st degree black belt in taekwondo and I am the first known legally blind black belt student in taekwondo in Ireland. Taekwondo is not a sport that’s necessarily encouraged or recommended for people who are blind or vision impaired, however with the support of an excellent coach, awareness and understanding of the training involved and a genuine interest and passion for the martial art the opportunity to succeed became possible.
Aswel as participating in sport, I’ve also recently become very passionate about toastmasters. A member of two clubs – attending regular meetings and engaging in public speaking. I also really enjoy the theatre, meeting friends and exploring the outdoors.
Inclusion, equality and Resilience are also three very important values to me and ones I choose to live by. I strongly believe everyone (no matter age, race, gender, disability) is entitled to and have a right to education, opportunity to learn and has a right to be treated fairly in society. Resilience is key to me to allow me to rise above challenges being part of life, having the ability to adapt to change and create opportunity for growth.
Seeing Beyond Blindness 