Two women holding signs about heel pricks and disease screening in Ireland and Europe, standing outdoors in front of a building with multiple windows.
Three people standing together at a Muscular Dystrophy Ireland event, with a green and white backdrop displaying the organization’s logo and words related to youth service, clinic liaison, advocacy, and information line.
Group of six people, including a young man in a wheelchair, standing and sitting outside a building with glass doors, smiling and posing for a photo during a marathon event, wearing athletic apparel and race bibs.
Group of five people, including three in wheelchairs, in a room with green and orange decor and balloons. Two women stand behind two seated individuals with wheelchairs, all smiling for a photo. The background has words like 'Home from Home,' 'Transi
A group of fifteen people, including children and adults, posing outdoors in front of a beige wall with greenery and trees behind them. They are arranged mostly standing with some sitting. The sky above is partly cloudy.
Group photo of diverse individuals, including several in wheelchairs, in a conference room or similar setting.
A white disability van with a wheelchair lift in a parking lot, surrounded by other parked vans and vehicles, with houses and trees in the background.
A young girl sitting in a red Ferrari convertible, smiling, with other people and children in the background outdoors on a sunny day.
Group of six people standing in front of a colorful butterfly mural on a stone wall, with two of the women in wheelchairs and one person on a mobility scooter.

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Latest News

Featured
Exploring Neuromuscular Research in Ireland: Trends, Gaps & Opportunities
Exploring Neuromuscular Research in Ireland: Trends, Gaps & Opportunities

Muscular Dystrophy Ireland (MDI) is pleased to share our new research landscape review, Neuromuscular Research in Ireland: Trends, Gaps & Opportunities (1990–2025), together with an Executive Summary of its key findings.

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Transport for Ireland (TFI) new “Ramp Please” JAM Card for bus passengers
Transport for Ireland (TFI) new “Ramp Please” JAM Card for bus passengers

In collaboration with the Now Group, Transport for Ireland (TFI) has introduced a new “Ramp Please” JAM Card for bus passengers. The card enables customers to discreetly let the driver know that they require the ramp to be lowered, without having to make a verbal request. This simple addition helps make bus travel more accessible, inclusive and comfortable for passengers who may face communication barriers or who prefer a non-verbal way to communicate their needs.

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Webinar: Supporting Post Primary School Students with Muscular Dystrophy and Related Neuromuscular Conditions
Webinar: Supporting Post Primary School Students with Muscular Dystrophy and Related Neuromuscular Conditions

We're thrilled to continue our collaboration with Education Support Centres Ireland to host a WEBINAR FOR POST PRIMARY SCHOOL STAFF on 5th of November!

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Webinar: Supporting Primary School Students with Muscular Dystrophy and Related Neuromuscular Conditions
Webinar: Supporting Primary School Students with Muscular Dystrophy and Related Neuromuscular Conditions

We're thrilled to continue our collaboration with Education Support Centres Ireland to host a WEBINAR FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL STAFF on 20th of October!

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Book now for MDI National Conference 2026
Book now for MDI National Conference 2026

Be part of the conversation shaping our community’s future! Join us on Saturday 21 November in Croke Park, Dublin, for MDI’s National Conference, Shared Voices, Shared Strength.

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[DFI] Supporting lived experience and voluntary organisation engagement in the National Neuro-Rehabilitation Strategy
[DFI] Supporting lived experience and voluntary organisation engagement in the National Neuro-Rehabilitation Strategy

Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI), Neurological Alliance of Ireland (NAI) and the HSE are partnering on a new project. Its aim is to make sure that people with lived experience, and the voluntary organisations that support them, have a real say in how the National Neuro-Rehabilitation Strategy is put into practice. 

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MDI at the Irish Presidency Conference: Closing the Gap Between Approval and Access
MDI at the Irish Presidency Conference: Closing the Gap Between Approval and Access

I was delighted to receive an invite from the Minister of Health Jennifer Carol MacNeil to attend the Irish Presidency Conference on Clinical Trials and Medicine Access today. The conference is essentially about how Europe can make the journey from medical research to patient access to medicines faster, more effective and more sustainable. Looking at why there can be a significant gaps between a medicine being developed/approved and patients actually getting access to it across Europe!!

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€500 Cost of Disability payment falls far short of the weekly costs disabled people face
€500 Cost of Disability payment falls far short of the weekly costs disabled people face

We wish to share Disability Federation (DFI) of Ireland's response to Budget 2027 announcement of a Cost of Disability payment. As a member of Disability Federation Ireland, Muscular Dystrophy Ireland contributes to collective advocacy to advance the rights of disabled people. 

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ExWell Medical: Looking for a safe, supportive way to stay active?
ExWell Medical: Looking for a safe, supportive way to stay active?

ExWell Medical is a not-for-profit organisation running medically supervised exercise classes for people living with long-term conditions, including neuromuscular conditions. Classes are led by trained instructors and combine gentle aerobic, strength, core and balance work in a supportive, sociable group setting. ExWell has centres across Dublin, Leinster, Munster and Connacht, plus online classes and weekly Zoom health talks. To join, you'll need a referral from your GP or another healthcare professional.

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Register Now: Five Expert Voices, One Evening: Our Assistive Technology Webinar on 14th October.
Register Now: Five Expert Voices, One Evening: Our Assistive Technology Webinar on 14th October.

Join us online on 14th October at 7pm for our Assistive Technology Information Webinar. Victoria Geaney from Tus Nua Occupational Therapy will discuss power mobility and the MDI Wellness Programme. Laura from AT Superstore will demo the latest devices. Niamh Bridges from Tobii Dynavox will cover eye-gaze technology for communication and independence. MDI member Catherine Keegan will share her family's experience of living with CMT. Cathy Wright from Citizens Information will explain the funding and grants available for AT. Our online peer support workshop follows on 19th October. Email tania@mdi.ie to join.

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Assistive Technology News Monthly: October 2026
Assistive Technology News Monthly: October 2026

October's Assistive Technology Update is here. Join our free online information webinar on Tuesday 14th October at 7pm, with Niamh Bridges, AAC Trainer with Tobii Dynavox, on eye-gaze technology for communication and independence; MDI member Catherine Keegan on how assistive tech has supported her family living with CMT; and Cathy Wright from Citizens Information on funding and grants for AT. Our online peer support workshop also runs on 19th October. This month's resources include our webinar recordings on accessibility features in Windows, iOS and Android, the Quha Zono head mouse, the BIGtrack 2 trackball, the Flexi wheelchair phone holder, and simple-control music and TV devices. We also share a step-by-step guide from one of our members on setting up a PC to power on with a switch.

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Kinship Care Week 2026: Celebrating the families who keep children connected
Kinship Care Week 2026: Celebrating the families who keep children connected

This week Ireland marks its third Kinship Care Week, part of Global Kinship Care Week. Led by Kinship Care Ireland, a national programme of the charity Treoir, the week celebrates the grandparents, relatives and close family friends who step in to raise a child.

Kinship care is when a child is raised full-time by grandparents, relatives or close family friends because their parents are unable to care for them. It keeps children connected to their family, community and identity. Between 10,000 and 12,000 children in Ireland are growing up in kinship care. Without these carers, many of those children would need to enter State care. This year's theme is simple: #KinshipCareCounts.

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GO TO NEWS SECTION

  • Our vision

    MDI envisages an Ireland that enables people with neuromuscular conditions to fully participate in society and reach their full potential.

  • Our mission

    Using a member-centred approach, we provide information and support to people with neuromuscular conditions and their families through a range of support services. Advocating for services and entitlements for members; Educating and informing society about neuromuscular conditions and supporting researchers and clinicians to carry ourt quality research into neuromuscular conditions.

  • Our values

    1. Respect and empathy

    We seek to build relationships based on respect and empathy.

  • Our values

    2. Transparency and integrity

    We carry out all our work to the highest standards, underpinned by honesty, accountability and consistency.

  • Our values

    3. Equality and fairness

    We are committed to equality and fairness and to ensuring the right to equal access to services based on the needs of the individual.

  • Our values

    4. Inclusiveness

    We strive to be inclusive, valuing and respectful of diversity.

  • Our values

    5. Personal empowerment

    We believe personal empowerment is about being able to make choices and having a voice.

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