The OWL Programme
With thanks to our Funders, Collaborators & Supporters
The OWL Programme is an applied learning, development, and socialisation programme for adults with an intellectual disability which was launched as a pilot programme by the Ceann Comhairle, Seán Ó Fearghaíl TD in September 2018. The Houses of the Oireachtas is the first Parliament in the world to host a programme of this kind. The OWL Programme is facilitated by the Houses of the Oireachtas Service in collaboration with WALK and KARE. The programme is also supported by the Adult Education Service run by the City of Dublin Education and Training Board and by the Health Service Executive.
The goal of the OWL Programme is to provide trainees with the skills, knowledge and ability to gain meaningful paid employment. It offers a unique opportunity to gain practical work experience and for trainees to be accredited for their learning, with a QQI module built into the week. The trainees will get a variety of work experiences during their time on the programme, in different sections of Houses of the Oireachtas and neighbouring government departments.
In June 2025, five WALK trainees graduated from the OWL Programme with the Houses of the Oireachtas. The ceremony was held in Leinster House, and the graduates were presented with certificates from both the Houses of the Oireachtas and the City of Dublin ETB by the Ceann Comhairle, Verona Murphy TD. The new OWL promotional video was launched at the graduation ceremony, showcasing the experience from the perspectives of an OWL Programme Trainee, and their family. WALK's graduates from this year feature in the video, with Stephen Greene and his mother, Catherine Greene, speaking about their experience of the programme. 47 individuals, 24 of which are from WALK, have graduated from the OWL Programme since its inception in 2018, and we look forward to welcoming our sixth group of trainees this coming September.