“We realised she’d flourish in a home of her own, close to family, within her community"

Inspired by her younger sister, Molly O'Keeffe has set up In Conversation, a family-led initiative for those who are supporting loved ones with an intellectual disability. 

Molly O’Keeffe (right) who is founder of Positive Pathways an organisation that supports people with disability, also pictured is her sister Fran O’Keeffe from Tallow, Co Waterford. Picture: Patrick Browne

Growing up on a farm in West Waterford in the 1980s, Molly O’Keeffe didn’t think it was fair she and her older brother could have a “real” life, while their younger sister, Fran, was doomed to stay forever in life’s waiting room.

“Fran was labelled as profoundly intellectually disabled,” says Molly, describing how barren the landscape was around disability in 1980s Ireland. With few practical and family supports and scarce educational options, families felt abandoned.