We are delighted to announce the 38 organisations that have been shortlisted for a 2010 O2 Ability Award!

Pictured at the announcement of the Ability Companies are (LtoR) Majella Fitzpatrick, Head of Corporate Affairs, Telefonica O2 Ireland and Caroline Casey, founder of Kanchi and the Ability Awards.

This year over 100 organisations participated in the Awards programme, which recognises organisations that champion the ability and value of employees and customers with a disability.

Among the 38 organisations shortlisted are 18 organisations that are first-time participants in the O2 Ability Awards programme. These include The Courts Service, Dublin Tourism, EMC, Homebase, Imaginosity, Medtronic, Trinity College Dublin and Waterways Ireland. Each participating organisation has undergone an on-site assessment undertaken by disability management consultants and Kanchi’s assessment partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The organisations shortlisted for this year’s O2 Ability Awards together employ 49,750 people in organisations spanning eight different sectors across 14 counties, with 22 of the organisations based in Dublin City or County.

Sectors represented this year include financial services and banking (AIB Group and Citi); pharmaceutical and medical (Abbott Vascular and Medtronic); ICT (Microsoft, EMC and Eircom); hotel/catering and restaurants (Four Seasons Hotel and McDonald’s); education and training (Dublin City Public Libraries & Archives and The Homework Club) and the social/voluntary sector (The Melting Pot, Roscommon). The sport and leisure sector is best represented this year with six participants including Croke Park, DCU Sport, Laois Sports Partnership, Leisure World Cork, the National Aquatic Centre and Westport Leisure Park.

Fifteen organisations from the public sector also make this year’s shortlist including The Central Fisheries Board, Iarnród Éireann, Cork County Council, Carlow Local Authorities, Fingal County Council, Cavan County Council and the Department of Social and Family Affairs.

Announcing the Ability Companies, Caroline Casey said: “The diversity of the Ability Companies shortlisted for an O2 Ability Award demonstrates how organisations in all areas of business recognise the value of people with disabilities to their business, as customers and as employees. It’s an exciting time – these organisations are creating a momentum for change and seizing a competitive advantage in a challenging economic environment”.

The 2010 Ability Companies are:

Abbott Vascular
AIB Group
Carlow Local Authorities
Cavan County Council
Citi
Cork County Council
Croke Park
DCU Sport
Department of Social & Family Affairs
Dublin City Public Libraries & Archive
Dublin Tourism
Eircom
EMC
Fingal County Council
Four Seasons Hotel, Dublin
Galway University Hospitals
Health Service Executive, Local Health Office, Dublin South City
Homebase
Iarnród Éireann
Imaginosity, Dublin Children’s Museum
Kernan’s Eurospar
Kilkenny County Council
Laois Sports Partnership
Leisure World Cork
McDonald’s Drive-Thru, Ennis
McDonald’s, Dungarvan
Medtronic
Microsoft Ireland
National Aquatic Centre
South Dublin County Council
The Central Fisheries Board
The Citizen’s Information Board
The Courts Service
The Homework Club
The Melting Pot, Roscommon
Trinity College Dublin
Waterways Ireland
Westport Leisure Park

Many congratulations to all our Ability Companies and well done!

Kanchi and Animo have once again teamed up to produce a two-part documentary on the O2 Ability Awards 2010. The documentary, which will be aired on RTÉ 1 on the 6th and 13th of May, will feature some of the work being done by Irish organisations in positively promoting the ability, value, and potential of people with disabilities as both employees and customers. It will also feature footage from the Awards ceremony and interviews with winners on the night.
 
We are delighted to also announce that Newstalk will be interviewing all of our 2010 Ability Companies. The interviews will be available to download from their website in podcast form. Many Ability Companies will also be featured live on air on Newstalk’s prime time shows.
Finally, we are thrilled to confirm that The Irish Times will once again feature an entire supplement on the O2 Ability Awards 2010 in May.

This fantastic coverage of the Ability Awards across Ireland’s leading Media organisations is a testament to the organisations participating in the Awards, and in the power of Kanchi and our “Ability Companies” to change mindsets by inspiring businesses to see the ability in people with disabilities.

Battling snow, ice, and floods, disability management consultants and assessors are travelling the length and breath of the country conducting onsite visits to the 42 shortlisted companies in the O2 Ability Awards 2010.

A total of 105 eligible organisations registered to participate in the O2 Ability Awards 2010. 77 Private Companies and 28 Public Organisations from across 23 Industry Sectors aggregately employing 79,720 people are positively promoting the ability, value, and potential of people with disabilities as both employees and customers.

The provincial spread of registered companies reflects the ever-widening geographical reach of the Ability Awards. From Donegal to Cork, and Galway to Wicklow, despite the current economic climate, all of these organisations are challenging mindsets and encouraging a greater awareness of ability, making a difference to millions of people throughout Ireland.

On behalf of all our stakeholders, Kanchi would like to say well done and thank you for thinking differently by participating in the O2 Ability Awards 2010.

Good luck to all the organisations participating in the next stage of the programme.