This event will centre on the dissemination and discussion of findings from Wave 6 of the Intellectual Disability Supplement to The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (IDS-TILDA), taking place on International Day of Persons with Disabilities. IDS-TILDA, Ireland’s only national longitudinal study of ageing in people with an intellectual disability, spans 15 years of trusted, population-level data, providing a unique evidence base to support informed decision-making, policy development, and long-term planning for an ageing population of people with intellectual disabilities.
Presentations of key findings from Wave 6, highlighting trends over time and implications for policy and practice; accessible outputs, to support meaningful inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities; facilitated discussions to identify opportunities for action across policy, services, and communities; and creative contributions, such as musical performances will be included.
Wave 6 was developed in collaboration with the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, ensuring alignment with current national policy and human-rights commitments set out in Ireland’s National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025–2030. Grounded in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the strategy emphasises independent living and participation, wellbeing and health, employment, inclusion, and accessibility, areas directly informed by IDS-TILDA. Wave 6 findings will provide robust insights relevant to these priorities.
The event will support the effective use of IDS-TILDA evidence by creating a space for informed discussion and dissemination among policymakers, service providers, and people with lived experience. It will provide a forum for engagement with the evidence, enabling participants to examine the implications of Wave 6 findings for policy, service planning, and practice, and to reflect collectively on priorities and next steps.
The event will convene a broad and inclusive group of stakeholders, including people with intellectual disabilities, family members, carers, service providers, policymakers, government departments, clinicians, researchers, and advocates.