Disabled man hopes to break down barriers with podcast

AN inspirational Omagh man, who lives with two major disabilities which were the result of a stroke before he was born, has launched a new podcast highlighting the needs for representation and accessibility for disabled people in the local film and television industry.

Adam O’Connor (21), a past pupil of Drumragh Integrated College, and Ríaín Ó Conchóbair (30), from Dungiven, County Derry, have recently launched the ‘One Arm No Legs’ podcast.

Adam has hemiplegia, which causes paralysis in his right arm. He also has hamianopia which affects his vision, meaning he can’t see through the right side of his eyes.

His co-host, Ríaín, was born with a heart condition and needed a heart transplant at the age of 18, however, due to complications after surgery, he had to have both his legs amputated above the knees and now has prosthetic legs.

Barriers

Their podcast serves as a platform for people to share their unique experiences and perspectives of living with a disability, shining a light on the hurdles they face whilst trying to break into an industry rife with barriers to entry.

It also hopes to empower listeners with the tools and insight required to help them progress into the film and television industry.

Adam said that the podcast name was one way they confront perceptions of disability.

He said, “Since Ríaín has no legs and I only have use of one of my arms, we thought we would take a bit of a light-hearted, somewhat comical approach in naming it.

“I’m really hoping that people will listen to the podcast and get involved.

“We are currently in the process of recruiting more guests and we would openly invite anyone who would like to share their story about being disabled in the creative industry.

“Our main goal is to focus on how we, as disabled people, can build towards a future in this industry.”

Adam and Ríaín have now filmed the six podcast episodes, which will be broadcast on YouTube and through Spotify.

Guests

The guests include a young woman with autism who is now working as a trainee at the BBC, a representative from CINE which is supporting disabled people into film careers, a young disabled student from Queens University, a representative from NI Union of Supported Employment and a manager from Usel, a social enterprise helping people with disabilities get into employment.

Adam added, “We are passionate about film making and we are both aiming high.

“We hope this podcast changes some opinions on what is possible.”