Moving on - Softcover

Lawlor, Rita

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1860231047 ISBN 13: 9781860231049

Publisher: Mercier Press / Marino Books, 1999

Synopsis

In Moving On, Rita Lawlor, a woman with learning difficulties, tells the story of her life, from her tough early experiences in a number of different institutions and unfulfilling jobs to her final achievement of independence and self-confidence -she now lives independently in her own flat. Over the years she has developed her talents as a gymnast, and she has represented Ireland in numerous competitions and coached other gymnasts.
Rita was one of twelve athletes appointed to be global messengers for the Special Olympics in 1998, the organisation's thirtieth anniversary. This position took her to America, where she met Muhammad Ali, President Clinton and representatives of groups for people who experience discrimination due to disability. In 1990 she co-founded the Dublin Self-Advocacy Group to campaign for the rights of people with learning difficulties and improve the way we look at these people and their abilities, partly by asking the public not to use the term 'mentally handicapped' and calling for people with learning difficulties to be shown in the media more often.
As the photograph on the cover shows, this is a unique story about hope and the way in which one woman overcame huge problems.

Edition details

• Publisher: Mercier Press / Marino Books
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1860231047
• ISBN 13: 9781860231049
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160