Micheál Kelliher (Independents 4 Change- Cabra-Glasnevin)

Name: Micheál Kelliher

Age: 30

Preferred pronouns: He/Him

Party: Independents4Change

Local Electoral Area: Cabra-Glasnevin, Dublin

Is this your first time running? Yes

What are your reasons for running as a young person in politics:

I’m a Deaf activist from the extremely marginalised group that’s the Deaf community. As a Deaf person, I have faced some barriers that shouldn’t have been there in the first place during my education, employment and more. Those situations have influenced my interests in social justice and equality. I was involved in a good number of campaigns from Right2Water to Together for Yes and from the Irish Sign Language Recognition Campaign to access to politics for people with disabilities.

I’m the first Deaf person standing for an election in Ireland’s history. I am pushing the government to make politics accessible for people with disabilities by setting up funding similar to the UK’s Access to Elected Office Fund to cover disability related costs like interpreters, PAs, guides, transport supports and more.