'Parents would come straight from hospital to hand over their babies...'

As Sean Abbott retires from Horizons, formerly the Cope Foundation, after 40 years, he reflects on Ireland’s progress — and its ongoing failures

Sean Abbott is retiring from his role as CEO of Horizons, formerly the Cope Foundation, which cares for some 2,800 people with intellectual disabilities and autism in Cork. Picture: Jim Coughlan

“You would hear stories of parents coming straight from the hospital to hand over their babies.”

Sean Abbott, the outgoing chief executive of Horizons, formerly the Cope Foundation, recalls the early days of his career when parents felt forced to abandon their newborns due to the stigma around disability.