Press Release: Dermot Devlin Nominated for the UK’ Largest Diversity Awards

I set up My Way Access back in 2009. It grew out of frustration of not being able to get answers to my questions and not be able to access premises, due to their poor accessibility.

Rather than getting angry, I wanted to do something positive and create a disability awareness movement. My Way Access was born.

I have a rare disease called Mucopolysaccharides Morquio. Long story short, I am short and I use a wheelchair. It is a part of who I am, but it does not define who I am. I am disabled and proud, I am Dermot.

I campaigned after to get an ERT drug Vimizim approved by NICE for use on the NHS for my rare disease, After all long and hard fight, over several years, the fight was won.

I work as a volunteer for:

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council as the Vice-Chairperson of the Disability Advisory Group

The Department for Communities NI as a member of the Disability Co-Design Group.

A committee member of The Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee (IMTAC).

A Board Member of STILL I RISE Diversity Story Telling.

I am a trainer for Cultivate Respect, Appreciate Inclusion in Communities in Northern Ireland (CRAICNI).

I have also done some volunteer work in the past for Equality Commission for Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission on issues around the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and the Independent Mechanism in Northern Ireland (IMNI)

in 2020, I was awarded the Bravery Award from Amnesty International UK in recognition of the human rights campaigning I do for disabled people.

I have been working at Omagh Enterprise since 2002, where I began as an Administrations Officer to their Social Media Project Officer.

I enjoy working with the media to highlight disabled issues to a wider audience.

I have featured on BBC TV and Radio, both locally and across a wider UK audience. I have also featured on UTV on various news items.

Over the years, I have been in local press and wider Irish and UK newspapers, talking about various disabled issues.

I have also collaborated with The Detail regarding an investigative report on Stormont’s failure to provide a disability provision at venues across Northern Ireland. I have worked with Triplevision Productions on “Disability Paradox”, a BBC documentary on disabled people and mental health.

I have delivered talks and keynote speeches for TEDx, Rare Disease Day, Disability Action / Department For Communities, Little Penny Thoughts, Leonard Cheshire and University College Dublin.

In my spare time, there is nothing more I enjoy more than hanging out with my family and friends. Whether that is going to the cinema, heading out for a bite to eat or a quick drink in the pub.

One of the two biggest joys in my life is live stand up comedy, where you can often see me in the audience of the famous Daly’s Comedy Club in Omagh. Nothing beats a good laugh and this is the best stage to showcase the best of Irish comedy and big international names.

The other big joy is cosplay. I just love attending Comic Cons in Belfast and Dublin, as well as Comic Fests in Enniskillen and Omagh, dressed as my favourite comic book and films characters. Interacting with people is very liberating and it brings the social awkwardness some non-disabled people have, for a few hours.

It is a great honour to have my name put forward for this award and a total surprise. I have been reading some of the comments coming in about me, I am blown away by the keep words people have share about me. Thank you to the person who put me forward and those who continue to vote / nominate me.

To vote for Dermot, please visit: https://nationaldiversityawards.co.uk/nominate/32723/