Project shows there’s no limits for Joanne

A TEENAGER who forced the Government to tear up its budget plans to cut disability allowance for young people is among the top contenders in the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition.

Within hours of the cuts being announced last December, Joanne O’Riordan, 15, who was born without legs or arms, released images of Taoiseach Enda Kenny promising her that he would not touch the disability allowance. She also penned a letter to Mr Kenny, which the Irish Examiner printed on the front page, in which she castigated him for going back on his promise.

Joanne, one of seven people in the world with total amelia, is a transition-year student at Millstreet Community School, Co Cork. She and her classmate Nadine Spillane, 15, succeeded in having their project, No Limbs, No Limits, showcased at the exhibition at the RDS. The pair investigated the factors that contribute to the exam performance of people with long and short-term disabilities.