Some people are “reluctant” even to say the word “disabled”, disability activist Sinéad Burke has said.
She's appeared on the cover of British Vogue, been appointed to Ireland's President's Council of State and has been recognised in BBC's 100 Women of 2019.
Now, Sinéad Burke's focus is creating a more accessible world through her company Tilting the Lens.
Language
On The Pat Kenny Show, Ms Burke said disability in Ireland is often equated as something negative.
"There’s a reluctance for people to say disabled because they feel it has a discomfort to it - but being disabled doesn’t make me less of a person, it makes me who I am.
"I don’t use euphemisms like special needs or differently-abled.
"People often say to me ‘you have lots of abilities Sinead!’ - it’s true, but as does everybody.
"That doesn’t minimise the fact that I'm disabled."
Ms Burke said in her experience, being disabled is "really valuable".
Sinéad Burke and Pat Kenny in the Newstalk studioTilting the Lens
To address accessibility in Ireland and beyond, Ms Burke set up her company Tilting the Lens in 2020.
"It is a consultancy across Europe where we hire disabled and non-disabled people," she said.
"Part of what we do in our company is we centre the expertise of disabled people - so we have done surveys, workshops focus groups with disabled people centred to really create solutions."
One of Tilting the Lens' most famous clients was Vogue.
"We were asked in 2023 by British Vogue to come in as the consulting partners to make that issue the most representative of disability to date and also the most accessible," Ms Burke said.
"There were five covers with five disabled people and 19 disabled people inside - the articles were written by disabled writers and journalists."
Sinead Burke Leaves Christopher Kane Runway Show, London Fashion Week, Autumn/Winter 2020 Wearing Burberry Trench CoatTilting the Lens also worked with Public Jobs to improve accessibility for disabled workers in Ireland.
"With Public Jobs here in Ireland we [supported them in developing] the reasonable accommodations process in order to meaningfully employ disabled people in the public and civil sector," Ms Burke said.
In terms of creating more accessible public spaces and buildings, more work needs to be done, Ms Burke said.
"When we think about accessibility and design, things I often hear are ‘it’s very expensive’ or 'it creates a burden on those who are non-disabled,'" she said.
Sinéad Burke in the Newstalk studio"There are of course cost challenges if we’re looking to older buildings where retro-fititng can be a challenge but as we think about new buildings and new design I think we need to move our mindset from compliance.
"There are some great building regulations and standards here that support accessibility but the reality is they should be the floor and not the ceiling."
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Featured image shows Sinéad Burke on stage during Irish Design Week, Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland
