Lived Experience Alliance for Disability in Employment - Join our Advisory Group!

The purpose of the group is to: 

• Ensure that the lived experiences of disabled graduates and professionals inform AHEAD’s employment-focused work, including the continued development/delivery of the GetAHEAD and WAM programmes and WIDE Framework.
• Support AHEAD’s advocacy and awareness-raising work in relation to disability and employment, by influencing AHEAD’s employment-related policy positions and the development of submissions in this area.
• Provide advice and feedback on AHEAD’s employment-related programmes, resources, events and initiatives, to ensure the perspective of disabled graduates and jobseekers underpins the work.
• Contribute to events and other AHEAD activities that promote inclusive employment and amplify the voices of disabled graduates.

As a member of the group, you will be expected to attend at least 3 meetings throughout the year. You will also have the opportunity to undertake/contribute in the following activities: 

• Providing feedback on programmes, platforms, resources and initiatives.
• Contributing to research design, advocacy and awareness-raising activities.
• Sharing lived experience and insights relating to disability and employment.
• Participating in events, panels and presentations at AHEAD’s request.
• Identifying emerging issues affecting disabled graduates and professionals.

Members may also put themselves forward for opportunities to participate in additional projects and activities for which they will be appropriately reimbursed.

To be eligible to apply, you must: 

• Identify as disabled or be considered so under the definition of disability under the Employment Equality Act which incorporates individuals with a broad range of conditions, including but not limited to conditions in categories relating to mobility, learning, speech, neurological health, mental health, ongoing illness, and sensory difficulties’ 
• Hold a minimum NFQ Level 6 qualification.
• Have experience of job seeking, employment and/ or engaging in the labour market.
• Not be currently participating on a WAM placement, or to have accepted an offer to undertake a WAM placement in the future (to avoid conflict of interest).
• Not be currently a member of other AHEAD advisory groups for example LaunchPAD and SwDAG (to avoid conflict of interest). 
• Be available on November 12th 2026 to attend the first meeting and training day in Dublin City centre. 

The Group will meet a minimum of 7 times in the first two years from the Groups formation. The initial term for members is for two years. Members may be eligible to reapply for a further term, subject to the needs of the Group and agreement with AHEAD. The maximum period of continuous membership is four years.

The first meeting will take place in person on 12^th November 2026 in an accessible venue in Dublin City centre and will involve a full day session. This will include an introduction to AHEAD, an overview of the Group’s role and training designed to both support members to contribute effectively and build skills in areas such as advocacy, engagement and communication. 

Subsequent meetings will mainly take place online, with some meetings organised in person or in a hybrid format where appropriate.

To qualify for reimbursement, participants are expected to meet the following criteria:

• Punctuality and full attendance at each meeting are required.
• Active participation in discussions and activities during scheduled meetings.

GetAHEAD seeks to engage a diverse group of people with disabilities and is happy to provide support to enable participation and ensure all have an equitable platform to contribute. If you have any accessibility considerations around your participation, please make it known below in the appropriate section within the form and we will endeavour to support you should you be successful. 

If you require any of the information in the form in an alternative format or require support completing it, please contact banba.fitzgerald@ahead.ie@ahead.ie.

Being a member of this group will provide you with: 

• A chance to contribute to positive changes which lead to better experiences for disabled graduates, jobseekers and established professionals into the future
• Training in advocacy and on issues pertaining to people with disabilities, improving your understanding of the area
• Training and opportunities which will support you to build your public speaking skills
• Opportunities to build connections with other like-minded peers in the group 
• Reimbursement for your time

Being a member of the advisory group means a minimum commitment of participating in the mandatory full day training session in Dublin on the 12th of November and attending subsequent online or hybrid 2 hour meetings about 3 times a year.

Members will also have the opportunity to participate in additional projects and activities on a voluntary basis for which they will also be reimbursed appropriately. 

Members of the Advisory Group will be reimbursed for attendance at all meetings, as well as for participation in any mandatory training and other activities related to the purpose of the Group. Reimbursement will be provided at an appropriate hourly rate, and any additional expenses for example travel costs incurred in connection with Group activities will also be covered.

AHEAD will also meet the costs of any accessibility supports required to facilitate participation, including, for example, closed captioning, sign language interpretation, or other disability-related accommodations. 

Members will be recruited through an open application process. Applications will be reviewed with the aim of establishing a diverse group with a broad range of lived experiences and perspectives. AHEAD will arrange a brief video call (15-20 minutes) on MS Teams or Zoom with those people shortlisted through the application process.

If you are not selected, this is no reflection on you – rather it’s a reflection of the need for a broadly representative group.

Any information or data which you share in the sign-up form below will be treated confidentially. Only members of the Advisory Group will have access to this data, and none of it will be shared with third parties.

All of the data will be stored securely and will be destroyed in accordance with GDPR and AHEAD’s Data Protection Policy and Privacy Policy. Periods for data destruction and retention can be made available on request.