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Open Doors Initiative 2026 Leaders’ Summit
The Open Doors Initiative launched a groundbreaking report, "From Awareness to Action: Ireland’s Business and Policy Roadmap to Closing the Disability Employment Gap” at our third annual Leaders Summit on 24th April 2026. Hosted at the IDA Ireland headquarters in Dublin, an engaged audience heard highlights from the report, developed in partnership with EY and informed by extensive roundtables with business leaders, policymakers, and individuals with lived experience. The report reveals a stark paradox: despite near full employment, Ireland maintains one of the highest disability employment gaps in the European Union.
1 in 5 Irish people (22%) live with a disability, yet only 49.3% of working-age people with disabilities are employed, compared to 70.8% of those without – a 21.5% employment gap, among the largest in the EU. According to Jeanne McDonagh, CEO of The Open Doors Initiative. "We can no longer view disability inclusion as a 'social issue' managed by the state through welfare. It is a systemic failure within the labour market and a missed economic opportunity for Irish businesses. As a CEO with a disability myself, I stand here to advocate for the hiring of my peers. When barriers are removed and an equitable playing field created, people can work to their full potential.”
Download ODI Disability Roadmap
Business leaders joining the Summit heard from Paddy Hayes, CEO of ESB, as well as an expert panel including Ciara Foxton, MD of Circle K Ireland, Mary Buckley, Deputy CEO of IDA Ireland, and Adam Harris, CEO of AsIAm - Ireland’s Autism Charity, moderated by Dearbhail McDonald. We were also joined remotely by Dara Calleary TD, Minister for Social Protection and Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, who spoke about the importance of a collective approach to closing the disability employment gap.
Jeanne McDonagh concluded, "Businesses play a pivotal role in driving this change, but government initiatives are equally crucial. By investing in education, addressing the cost of disability, and simplifying support systems, policymakers can empower individuals with disabilities and enrich our society and economy. I urge you to join Open Doors as a partner and help us build on this work, ensuring Ireland becomes a leader in disability inclusion”.
Thank you to all who attended the Summit, to IDA Ireland for hosting, to EY for their critical support of the roundtables that provided the basis for the report, to our speakers and panellists, to Minister Calleary, to FUEL, State Street, Broadlake and Wilson Hartnell for their support of the event, to our photographer Kenneth O Halloran and the Open Doors team.
