Posted 11.12.2020

Disability Action NI and the Department for Communities are delighted to announce that the Harkin Summit will be hosted in Belfast in June 2022.

Delivered in partnership with the Harkin Institute, the Harkin Summit is a globally significant International Disability Employment Event, which brings together key champions and implementors from around the world to increase the profile and awareness of employment for disabled people.

Andrea Brown, Interim CEO of Disability Action NI says:

Bringing the Harkin Summit is a major achievement for the Disability Action team, we are delighted to be working in partnership with the Department to host this enormous event in Belfast where we can highlight the need for disability employment rights on a global stage.

Sean Fitzsimons from Disability Action has led negotiations with Senator Harkin and his team to bring the Harkin Summit to Belfast. To lead the delivery of the Summit, Sean will be seconded to the Department for Communities from 14^th December 2020, where a project team will ensure the success of this prestigious event.

Communities Minister Carál Ní Chuilín said:

My Department places great value on the lived experience of those with disabilities when setting direction and designing provision. Sean Fitzsimons from Disability Action has been at the forefront of bringing this leading disability employment summit to Belfast and his secondment to the Department to lead its delivery demonstrates our commitment to achieving a world-class event for disabled people, through disabled people.

The theme for the Harkin Summit – Belfast 2022 will be “Disability in Work”, and as this project develops, further information will be communicated on planning and delivery.