Joanne to address UN technology conference

An inspiring Irish teenager who helped force the Government into a U-turn on plans to cut disability benefit is to address the UN in New York.

Joanne O’Riordan, 15, from Millstreet, Co Cork, will deliver a keynote speech to the UN’s International Telecommunication Union on how technology has helped to advance her life through education and social interaction with others.

Joanne, who was born without limbs due to a condition known as total Amelia syndrome, is the only person with a disability to be invited to Girls in Technology, a global conference featuring some of the worlds’ leading women in technology.