I am delighted to be working with three other parents of individuals with special needs to organise a disability information evening on legal and financial advice on 26th January 2011 in Limerick. Many people have not put wills etc. in place and worry a lot about the future. It is a hard subject to think about, but wherever you are please do find the experts and put plans in place.

We are a group of four mums of individuals with special needs and disabilities in the Mid-West area of Ireland. We were having a cup of tea together during the summer of 2010 and we were chatting about the future for our children and the extra things we need to think about because our children have disabilities. Realising that we didn't know enough to plan properly for the future, we suspected other families were in the same situation. So we decided to organise an information evening on legal and financial issues that impact families like ours.

This free event takes place at the Radisson Hotel, Ennis Road, Limerick on Wednesday, 26th January at 7.30pm click here to find out more. Up-to-date information about the event as well as registration facilities can be found on www.disabilityinfo.ie  We have had such a phenomenal reaction, that we have had to close formal registration today, but if you are interested please let us know, as we have a waiting list and it looks like we may need to run the event a second time!

Our children are a mix of ages and wide range of and levels of disabilities (intellectual/physical/sensory/hearing impairment/speech delay/autism). We represent various family support organisations in the Mid-West (St.Vincents Lisnagry Association, Clare Federation for People with Special Needs, ConnectAbilities). Our aim is to bring together existing support groups to provide information on general issues that affect us all.

At the information evening, we will have presentations from Inclusion Ireland (largest organisation working to promote the rights of people with an intellectual disability in Ireland), Sweeney McGann Solicitors, Bank of Ireland and HDS Partners covering the following topics:

•  Guardianship, Ward of Court and the Mental Capacity Bill
•  Wills and Trusts - the importance of making a will, estate planning, the appointment of Guardians and Enduring Powers of Attorney (living wills)
•  Tax, Protecting Benefits and Inheritance
•  Banking Administration and Setting up Bank Accounts

We are hoping this event might be the first of many!
Best wishes as always,
Avril