Extracted from book “Much more to life than services” By Bob Rhodes (order online)
My name is Michael O’ Byrne and I am new to the Inchicore training centre. I do many activities in the day centre.
I normally go gardening with Paul and Fintan. We go every day to the planters and water them and if we didn’t they would die. The plants don’t get any food from the rain so we put food in the water for the plants. But if it is raining we don’t go.
I like doing the gardening and I love doing the watering. I meet people in the Blackhorse pub. Michael is the man who works in the pub and he gives me water to water the plants and he asks me if I want a cup of coffee. Then the next place I go for water is a shop called Londis in Inchicore. Amanda, Sandia, Mary, Tina, Brian and Aaron work there. I say hello to them and they fill the watering can for me. I normally have a chat with them. They are very nice and they are always friendly.
Next I go to the hairdresser and who do I meet? Debbie, Stacey and Stephanie work there. I always ask Debbie for water and she fills up the watering can with me. I have great fun there, they are nice women.
I also go into the Black Lion pub and Mary, Cissy & Miriam work there. I have great fun there too. Cissy fills the watering can and then I go outside, cross the road and water the plants. All of the people in Inchicore are always very friendly.
Sometimes people stop and talk to when we are doing the gardening and they say we are keeping the place nice.
Alan works in the hardware shop. We buy what we need there. They gave us a trolley to use and we put peat moss and flowers in the trolley because it’s too heavy to carry.
I also go to Crumlin College once a week to study computers and the staff in the college are very nice. And three times a week I go to the Sheldon park leisure centre to go swimming in the pool and I use the Jacuzzi, sauna and the steam room. I really enjoy it.
Everyone is very friendly in Inchicore!
Michael works with the Walkinstown Association which is a progressive organization where people who have learning disabilities are supported to live self determined lives within socially inclusive communities.
This article was originally published in:
Fountain News Digital – November 2010 (Issue 1)
We are re-publishing all articles from our past newsletter, Fountain News Digital, and you can view all completed newsletters here. There were nine issues published in total between 2010 and 2012.
