Irish disability activist and management consultant
Caroline Casey
Born (1971-10-20 ) 20 October 1971 (age 53) Education University College Dublin Occupation(s) Activist, management consultant
Caroline Casey (born 20 October 1971)[ 1] is an Irish activist and management consultant. She is legally blind due to ocular albinism .[ 2] [ 3] In 2000, aged 28, she left her job in Accenture to launch the Aisling Foundation, with an aim to improve how disability is treated.[ 1] [ 4] [ 3] In 2001, she trekked across India , solo, on elephant back for c.1,000 km, raising €250k for The National Council for the Blind of Ireland and Sightsavers .[ 5] [ 4] Casey became the first female mahout from the west .[ 6] The journey was the subject of a National Geographic documentary Elephant Vision [ 3] and a TED Talk .[ 4]
Background
Casey was diagnosed with ocular albinism as a child but was not personally informed until her 17th birthday.[ 2] She graduated from University College Dublin with BA , DBS and MBS degrees.[ 7] She worked at a couple of jobs including as a management consultant for Accenture.[ 4]
Aisling Foundation/Kanchi
The Ability Awards, styled as the O2 Ability Awards for sponsorship reasons, were set up by the foundation in 2005 to recognise organisations that promote disability inclusion.[ 8] [ 9] [ 3] [ 6] In 2011, the Telefónica Ability Awards were launched in Spain , with further versions planned for other countries in Europe.[ 6] [ 10] In 2008 the foundation was renamed in honour of the elephant "Kanchi" used on the Indian expedition.[ 3] [ 11]
The Valuable 500
Casey founded The Valuable 500, an organisation that aims to get disability on the leadership agenda.[ 12] [ 13]
Recognition
Affiliations
Board member of 98FM
Board member of Sightsavers
Former board member of Comhairle/Citizens Information Board (2002-?)
Former board member of Jack and Jill Children's Foundation
Former board member of FÁS (2001-?)
Former board member of Irish Charity Tax Reform Group/Charities Institute Ireland[ 15]
References
^ a b "International Women's Day 2016" . HSE . Retrieved 17 May 2017 .
^ a b Casey, Caroline (21 October 2014). "Would being legally blind change the way that you see yourself?" . Irish Independent . Retrieved 17 May 2017 .
^ a b c d e Reddan, Fiona (27 June 2008). "Aisling Foundation is going global" . Irish Times . Retrieved 17 May 2017 .
^ a b c d "Inspiring Irish legally blind adventurer's TED Talk" . IrishCentral. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2017 .
^ Ni Cheallaigh, Gillian (10 January 2001). "Element of blind date in 1,000 km elephant ride" . The Irish Times .
^ a b c d e f Barrio, Esther (14 April 2011). "Para integrar la discapacidad en la sociedad hay que cambiar la mentalidad, no las leyes " [To integrate disability in society a change in mentality, not laws, is needed]. HazRevista.org (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 May 2017 .
^ "Caroline Casey – UCD Entrepreneurial Graduates" . NovaUCD . Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2017 .
^ "O2 Ability Awards - 2005 Overall Winners" . 2006. Archived from the original on 19 November 2006. Retrieved 17 May 2017 – via archive.org .
^ "O2 Ability Awards 2007" . RTÉ.ie . 2007. Retrieved 17 May 2017 .
^ a b c "Caroline Casey wows the audience as BPW marks quarter century" . Galway Advertiser . 26 May 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2017 .
^ Burke, Sinead (9 October 2014). "Inspiring businesswoman Caroline Casey on how she's managed the tough times" . Irish Independent . Retrieved 17 May 2017 .
^ Joyce, Annie (31 August 2021). "Sky News Daily Podcast: Meet the women shattering the glass ceiling - but is it job done?" . Sky News . Retrieved 4 February 2022 .
^ Partington, Richard (18 May 2021). "500 global firms put disability inclusion on boardroom agendas" . TheGuardian.com .
^ "HVAA Past Recipients" .
^ a b c Conway, Pádraic (7 April 2016). "Caroline Casey – Doctor of Laws" (PDF) . National University of Ireland . Retrieved 17 May 2017 .
^ "Nominations sought for Dublin's outstanding young people awards" . IrishLegal.com. 16 February 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2017 .
^ "Caroline Casey | Ashoka | Everyone a Changemaker" . www.ashoka.org .
^ a b "The Power of Believing in the Right Thing and Your Extraordinary Potential " . AspireWomen.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2017 .
External links