Stephen Cluskey
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{{Orphan|date=May 2020}}
{{COI|date=July 2017}}
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{{Use Hiberno-English|date=July 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Stephen Cluskey
| honorific_suffix =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1984|6|04|df=y}}
| birth_place =
| height =
| television = The Late Late Show
| nationality = Irish
| relatives =James Cluskey(brother)
| awards = Social Justice Award,
Social Entrepreneur of Ireland,
Nissan Generation Next Ambassador}}
Stephen Cluskey (born 4 June 1984) is a social entrepreneur and advocate for people with accessible needs from Swords, County Dublin, Ireland. He is the middle child of three, to parents Kevin and Esme, and brother of ex Irish international tennis player James Cluskey. After attending St Colmcilles boys National School in Swords, he then went to Belvedere College in Dublin city centre.{{Cite web|url=http://stephencluskey.com/|title=Stephen Cluskey Award-Winning Entrepreneur & Public Speaker|website=Stephen Cluskey Award-Winning Entrepreneur & Public Speaker|language=en|access-date=2019-11-18}}
Accident
At the age of 18, Cluskey was about to enter into his leaving certificate year in Belvedere College when he had a catastrophic spinal cord injury.{{cite news | url=http://www.independent.ie/regionals/fingalindependent/news/friends-in-fundraiser-for-brave-accident-victim-stephen-27768818.html | title=Friends in fundraiser for brave accident victim Stephen |publisher=Irish Independent | date=15 April 2005 | accessdate=3 July 2017}} Cluskey was out camping with friends and fell from a hay bale, breaking his neck at the C2, C3, C4 and C5 levels. He was taken to the Mater Private Hospital in Dublin and later transferred to the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire to undergo physical and occupational therapy.{{cite news | url=http://www.thejournal.ie/readme/column-at-18-i-felt-invincible-but-a-sudden-accident-left-me-paralysed-from-the-neck-down-880092-Apr2013/ | title=At 18, I felt invincible but a sudden accident left me paralysed from the neck down| work=The Journal | date=22 April 2013 | accessdate=20 June 2017}}
Advocacy work
Cluskey has been involved in a number of disability related advocacy actions. In 2013, after getting stranded on a night out trying to get a wheelchair accessible taxi, he lobbied the government and was appointed by Minister Alan Kelly to the taxi advisory committee and by current Irish Taoiseach prime minister Leo Varadkar to help put more wheelchair accessible taxis on Irish roads.{{cite news | url= http://www.thejournal.ie/readme/taxis-wheelchair-access-dublin-ireland-1429299-Apr2014/ | title= I know from experience – it's not pleasant being stranded using a wheelchair| work=The Journal | date=24 April 2014 | accessdate=10 November 2016}}{{cite news | url= https://www.nationaltransport.ie/about-us/taxi-advisory-committee/| title= Taxi Advisory Committee | work=National Transport Authority | date=20 July 2017 | accessdate=20 July 2017}}
Rise to fame
In April 2017, Cluskey was invited to appear on the Irish chat show The Late Late Show. This brought him to public attention. As part of the segment, he was joined by TV presenter Kathryn Thomas and ex-Irish international football star Kevin Kilbane who both undertook a challenge to experience life in a wheelchair.{{cite news | url= http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/entertainment/two-celebs-went-around-dublin-in-a-wheelchair-to-highlight-irelands-inaccessible-streets-785012.html | title= Two celebs went around Dublin in a wheelchair to highlight Ireland's inaccessible streets| work=Irish Examiner | date=8 April 2017 | accessdate=14 May 2017}}{{cite news | url= https://rsvpmagazine.ie/kathryn-thomas-kevin-kilbane-went-around-dublin-wheelchairs-part-social-experiment-stephen-cluskey-broke-neck-18-trying-highlight-difficulty-whee/ | title= KATHRYN THOMAS AND KEVIN KILBANE WENT AROUND DUBLIN IN WHEELCHAIRS | work=RSVP magazine | date=12 April 2017 | accessdate=14 May 2017}}
Before this, he had devised Rugbys Wheelchair Challenge,{{cite news |url=http://bluebirdcare.ie/2015/10/05/stephen-cluskey-gives-rugby-stars-a-wheelchair-challenge/ |title=Stephen Cluskey Gives Rugby Stars A Wheelchair Challenge |publisher=Bluebird Care |date=2015-10-05 |accessdate=2017-06-25}} which challenged Irish rugby stars Jamie Heaslip, Shane Byrne, Felix Jones and David Wallace to travel from the Aviva Stadium in Dublin to Thomond Park in Limerick and aired on the Irish national broadcaster TV3.{{cite news |url=https://www.joe.ie/sport/video-jamie-heaslip-and-felix-jones-travel-from-aviva-to-thomond-in-wheelchairs-514679 |title=Jamie Heaslip and Felix Jones travel from Aviva to Thomond in wheelchairs |publisher=Joe media |date=2015-10-05 |accessdate=2017-06-25}} The show was produced by Loosehorse productions{{cite news |url=http://www.loosehorse.ie/portfolio-items/rugbys-wheelchair-challenge/?portfolioID=11710 |title=Rugbys Wheelchair Challenge |publisher=loosehorse.ie |date=2015-10-09 |accessdate=2017-05-14}} and went on to be nominated for an IFTA award for Best Reality TV Show.{{cite news |url=http://ifta.ie/awards/news/tvnoms16.html |title=IFTA Gala Television Awards Nominations 2016 |publisher=The Irish Film & Television Academy |date=2016-09-12 |accessdate=2017-05-17}}
Stephen is now co-founder of Mobility Mojo, a Saas company which makes 'Hotel Accessibility Simple'. The company works with hotels to highlight their accessibility features and showcase the vital information needed for those with a hearing, visual or mobility impairment.{{cite web| url = https://mobilitymojo.com/| title = Accessibility Made Simple {{!}} Mobility Mojo}}
Stephen is an international speaker and thought leader in the area of accessibility speaking at two global hospitality events in 2019, Skift Europe Forum and Skift Global Forum, about the value of accessible tourism in the world today.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZqklZIL6OI|title = Mobility Mojo CEO at Skift Global Forum 2019|website = YouTube}}
Awards and honours
In 2016 Cluskey received a Social Entrepreneurs of Ireland award for his co-founded social enterprise Mobility Mojo.{{cite news|author=Niall Sargent |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/mobility-mojo-reduced-mobility-travel-app-wins-sei-award-1.2825296 |title=Mobility Mojo: Reduced mobility travel app wins SEI award |publisher=Irishtimes.com |date=2016-10-11 |accessdate=2017-05-14}}{{cite news |url=http://socialentrepreneurs.ie/winners/noelle-daly-stephen-cluskey/ |title=Mobility Mojo Elevator Winner 2016 |publisher= socialentrepreneurs.ie |date=2016-10-11 |accessdate=2017-05-14}}
He was awarded a Social Justice Award from Belvedere College in 2016 {{cite web|url=http://www.belvederecollege.ie/news/stephen-cluskey-ob-2003 |title=Recent News - Belvedere College S.J |publisher=Belvederecollege.ie |date= |accessdate=2017-05-14}} and a David Manley Emerging Social Entrepreneur award in 2014.{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/regionals/fingalindependent/lifestyle/double-delight-for-entrepreneurs-31034088.html |title=Double delight for entrepreneurs |publisher=Independent.ie |date=2015-03-07 |accessdate=2017-05-14}}
Nissan Ireland made Cluskey a Nissan Generation Next Ambassador for 2016 - 2017.{{cite news |url=https://www.nissangenerationnext.ie/blog/author/stephen/ |title=Advocate for Irish people with disabilities and Nissan Generation Next Select 2016 |publisher=Nissan Ireland |date=2017-05-05 |accessdate=2017-06-25}}
References
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External links
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTDZjguSAys] Cluskey explains challenge access campaign on the Late Late Show
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cluskey, Stephen}}
Category:Irish activists with disabilities