Noreen Meagher is the co-ordinator for the Rural Bus Scheme (a new rural transport initiative servicing North Cork and County Limerick) and is one of nine employees working on the scheme. She has a visual impairment. She is responsible for the planning and setting up of routes and day trips, researching and enrolling new passengers, supervising buses, drivers and attending to passengers needs and difficulties. All passenger records are on computer and although visually impaired, Noreen is able to access this information through a screen reader.

Noreen is one of four employees with a disability who are employed by Rural Bus. The equipment Noreen uses includes JAWS software, a screen reader and scanning software to undertake her work. This equipment is specifically made for people with visual impairments. Noreen is a very motivated and dynamic person who has successfully contributed to the set up and operation of Rural Bus. She works from her homebase and has excellent PC skills and uses the telephone, email and the Internet as her main methods of communication with the Rural Bus office and service users.

Noreen is also working towards improving the opportunities for other people with disabilities in accessing appropriate work related training in the use of computers. Her ultimate aim is to provide training for people who are blind or visually impaired in the use of computers and also general awareness raising training. She is currently involved in a number of training programmes to improve her own skills. Noreen, through work has also had an involvement in the development of a disability friendly website found at www.ableaccess.com

According to Noreen the greatest hurdle for people with disabilities in accessing the workforce is the significant lack of awareness. “I think there is still not much improvement as regards awareness about the capabilities of people with disabilities when it comes to work access. In my view employers are still unaware of how much people who are blind or have a visible impairment can contribute due to the computer based technology available to them.”