Spotlight Series: Margaret Griffin
Meet Margaret, Advocacy and Communications officer with North Tipperary Disability Support Service and passionate disability rights advocate.
![[Image: A graphic with a black background featuring the words “Spotlight Series” in colourful, cut-out magazine-style letters. Below, white text reads: “This week we are chatting with…Margaret Griffin.” An image of Margaret sits beside this text surrounded by a gold frame. Images beneath this text include a megaphone, an open book, flowers, a signpost for Tipperary, and a Disability Pride flag. The Disability Participation News Hub logo appears in the top right corner.]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xd4n!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8dace676-856a-4805-adbc-58cea3814eaf_1080x1350.png "[Image: A graphic with a black background featuring the words “Spotlight Series” in colourful, cut-out magazine-style letters. Below, white text reads: “This week we are chatting with…Margaret Griffin.” An image of Margaret sits beside this text surrounded by a gold frame. Images beneath this text include a megaphone, an open book, flowers, a signpost for Tipperary, and a Disability Pride flag. The Disability Participation News Hub logo appears in the top right corner.]")
[Image: A graphic with a black background featuring the words “Spotlight Series” in colourful, cut-out magazine-style letters. Below, white text reads: “This week we are chatting with…Margaret Griffin.” An image of Margaret sits beside this text surrounded by a gold frame. Images beneath this text include a megaphone, an open book, flowers, a signpost for Tipperary, and a Disability Pride flag. The Disability Participation News Hub logo appears in the top right corner.]
💡 Spotlight Series: Margaret Griffin
We are on a mission to get to know and highlight Ireland’s activists, advocates and allies!
Each month, we will aim the spotlight on incredible changemakers working to advance the human rights of disabled people across Ireland.
We are delighted to share our latest Spotlight Series Edition, where we are chatting with Advocacy and Communications officer with North Tipperary Disability Support Service, and passionate disability rights advocate, Margaret Griffin.
A reminder that you can listen to this edition through the Substack app, or by opening this edition on your browser.
Become a paid subscriber to have early access to our Spotlight Series each month by using the Subscribe button below.
Enjoy this edition and we will be in touch soon! ✨
About Margaret
Margaret (she/her) is a 35-year-old Advocacy and Communications officer with North Tipperary Disability Support Service, based in Nenagh, living in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary with her husband and their fun-loving two-year-old daughter. As a woman with Cerebral Palsy, she’s passionate about disability rights, accessibility, inclusion, and creating spaces where people with disabilities are heard, valued, and empowered.
Q. Hello Margaret! Tell us a little about yourself and your role.
Margaret: I’m an Advocacy & Communications Officer with a strong focus on disability rights, inclusion, accessibility, and social impact. My work centres on amplifying the voices of people with disabilities, translating complex policy and social issues into clear, accessible communication, and supporting advocacy that promotes representation, choice, independence, dignity, and equality.
I develop and manage content across all digital platforms, share local and national disability news, highlight awareness days, provide information on disability rights and supports, and use storytelling to raise awareness and encourage meaningful conversations around disability and inclusion. Part of my role also involves promoting the valuable services NTDSS provides, including the support offered by our Health Care Assistants, who play such an important role in helping people maintain independence and quality of life within their local communities.
As a woman living with cerebral palsy, I use crutches and a wheelchair in my daily life, and my advocacy is both deeply personal and professional. I’m a wife to my wonderful husband, Jamie, and mother to a busy two-year-old daughter, so life is a balance of work, family, and advocating for positive change in my local community and beyond.
Q. What are you working on at the minute?
Margaret: At the moment, I’m focused on projects around accessibility, inclusive communication, and amplifying disabled voices within our communities. I’m especially passionate about making information more accessible and ensuring disabled people feel represented and included in conversations that affect their lives. I’m also learning every day how to balance work, advocacy, and motherhood — which is a journey in itself!
Q. Anything you are looking forward to this year?
Margaret: I’m really looking forward to continuing to grow both personally and professionally this year. I’m excited about connecting with more people through advocacy work and hopefully helping create positive change, even in small ways.
On a personal level, I’m looking forward to making memories with my little family and watching my daughter grow and discover the world.
Q. What keeps you motivated in your advocacy?
Margaret: What motivates me most is knowing how important representation and visibility are. Growing up, I didn’t always see people with disabilities included in everyday conversations or fully represented in society, and I want future generations to feel seen, heard, included, and valued. I’m also moved by the incredible resilience and strength within the disability community. Seeing people advocate for themselves and others across the country inspires me every day.
Q. What’s your favourite way to unwind and look after your own wellbeing?
Margaret: Spending quality time with my family is probably my favourite way to recharge. I also love quiet evenings with a good Audible book, enjoying a great coffee, or getting out in the fresh air for a short walk on my crutches.
Coming from a social care degree background, self-awareness was always emphasised as an important part of supporting both yourself and others, and that’s something I’ve carried into my everyday life. I really value taking time to reflect and look after my wellbeing through journaling, listening to podcasts, meditation, and making space to slow down when life gets busy.
That said, I also firmly believe there’s nothing better for the soul than a good laugh with friends or family — sometimes the best therapy is a coffee, a glass of wine, a good catch-up, and laughing until your stomach hurts!
Q. Anything people might be surprised to learn about you?
Margaret: One thing people might be surprised to learn is that I was a member of the Irish American Physically Challenged team in 2008. It was an amazing experience that gave me the opportunity to travel, meet incredible people, and be part of a community that celebrated ability, determination, and inclusion. It’s a memory I’ll always treasure and something I’m very proud of.
Q. Any book recommendations for our online Book Club this year?
Margaret: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.
Anything by Brené Brown — especially her work on vulnerability and courage.
The Multi-Hyphen Method by Emma Gannon — a really inspiring read about redefining success, creativity, and embracing different parts of yourself.
I love books that are honest, hopeful, and thought-provoking.
Q. Do you have a favourite quote or saying that inspires you?
Margaret: “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” — Dalai Lama
Kindness and loyalty are two qualities I value deeply in life. I believe genuine people, strong relationships, and treating others with compassion can make such a difference in the world.
Q. Where can people find you if they’d like to follow your work?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ntdss.ie/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61585180132771
Catch us back here next month with another Spotlight edition!
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