‘There are many people living with disabilities in Meath who don’t have access to the outside world’

A Zimbabwean man who has been living in Navan for the past two years has turned his own personal experience into a global campaign tackling poverty, inequality and disability inclusion.

Tapera Nyoni, a wheelchair user and disability advocate who left Zimbabwe two years ago to begin a new life in Meath, is using his experience of disability to raise awareness of global poverty and to encourage greater inclusion.

Tapera came to Navan in 2024 when his wife Jane was offered the opportunity to work as a crucial skilled worker in the construction and engineering sector. Their two children are now in school in Navan, and the family has settled into life in the town, despite there being some changes that could be made to make a wheelchair users life easier.

Tapera is currently undertaking a Nonprofit Leadership Internship with The Borgen Project, a US-based organisation that is new in Ireland, advocating for greater attention to global poverty and international development.

Rather than seeing disability as a barrier to participation, he wants to use his own experience to encourage other people with disabilities to become involved in community and advocacy activities.

Tapera told the Meath Chronicle: “My experience as a wheelchair user in the county has been positive in some aspects. In public spaces, most places are wheelchair accessible, such as restaurants and shops, but houses and work places are where the real challenges are.

“When you are looking for work as someone with a disability, which I currently am, despite having all of the qualifications, it can be difficult to get past the interview stage, as some work places are not wheelchair accessible. The same can be said for housing in the area. Houses are not built with wheelchair users in mind.”

As Tapera brings his international campaign to the Navan and Meath community, he is working to promote greater participation by wheelchair users in local awareness activities.

“One of the initiatives I am developing is an inclusive community campaign where wheelchair users and other members of the public can participate together.

“There are many people in Meath living with disabilities who don’t have access to what is going on in the outside world. This project extends a hand to those people to get involved in advocacy and to get involved in their community.

“My message is that people with disabilities should not simply be subjects of campaigns or conversations, they should be active participants and advocates in their communities.

“The Borgen Project advocates for practical solutions to global poverty and helps to raise awareness about issues affecting vulnerable communities around the world. It promotes disability inclusion.”

Tapera became a wheelchair user over 15 years ago following a road traffic accident and believes that having a disability and living in poverty are intrinsically linked due to a lack of access to work.

“When you apply for a job and the employer sees that you have a disability, such as using a wheelchair, it is unlikely that you will be hired.

“I think that has been the most negative part of my experience here in Navan. Many offices are not equipped for wheelchair users here. I’ve been to two places for interviews where I could not complete them as they were not wheelchair accessible.”

Tapera is currently planning his campaign for the Meath and Navan area and hopes to host a one mile ‘Roll and Walk’ event in the town to raise awareness of global poverty, while also promoting disability inclusion and encouraging wheelchair users to get involved in advocacy.