John Dolan
Director
A polio survivor, John Dolan’s working life has been in the disability area. Firstly, with Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) and since 2000 as CEO of the Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI). While in IWA, ‘80 to ‘99, I achieved a BA in English and Economics (UCD), I then gained membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, (CIPD) and the Chartered Governance Institute, UK and Ireland, (CGI). He has served on a range of disability and related boards: National Disability Authority, Eastern Regional Health Authority, Physiotherapy Registration Board and the Higher Education Authority. John has represented the “disability interest” within the Social Partnership engagement with Government and was a member of the National Economic and Social Council, (NESC). As an independent disability Senator, he played a lead role in having the Convention on the Rights of persons with Disabilities (CRPD) ratified and the Oireachtas Disability Matters Committee established. As well as leading the Irish delegation to the annual UN Conference on CRPD, he has served on the Boards of the European Social Platform and the European Disability Forum, (EDF) and as a member of their Finance Committee.