BY RHONA X (@rhonacullinan): This is what real inclusion looks like… and as Molly’s mam, this meant more t... | Deleted Social Media

@rhonacullinan

BY RHONA X

This is what real inclusion looks like… and as Molly’s mam, this meant more to me than I can explain. Watching Molly meet the fabulous Katie at the Newtown Park Hotel in Wexford was one of those moments that stays with you. Katie has Down syndrome, just like Molly, and she works as part of the team at the hotel. And when you’re the parent of a child with additional needs, seeing a young woman like Katie included, valued and given the opportunity to work gives you something incredibly precious. Hope. Hope for Molly’s future. Hope that there will be opportunities for her. Hope that people will see what she CAN do, rather than making assumptions about what she can’t. Katie is mostly non-speaking, but that certainly doesn’t mean she can’t communicate. She communicates beautifully in her own way, and in the short time she has been working there, she has already taught the team so much. But there was another moment that really got me. During our meal, I noticed members of staff naturally using signs when communicating with Molly. No big fuss. No making her feel different. They were simply communicating with her in a way that worked for her. For another person that might seem like such a small thing. For a mam like me, it is HUGE. Because that’s inclusion. It isn’t putting a sign on the door saying everyone is welcome. It’s learning. It’s adapting. It’s giving people opportunities. It’s making those small changes that can have a huge impact on families like mine. And this is exactly why I created the VSP Programme. www.byrhonax.com/vsp The Newtown Park Hotel is now taking part in the programme, working with me to educate staff and look at the little changes that can make hotel experiences more accessible and welcoming for families with additional needs. Seeing Katie and Molly together reminded me exactly why this work matters. And we’re only getting started. Watch this space. www.byrhonx.com/vsp #inclusionmatters #downsyndromeawareness #vspprogramme #additionalneeds #realinclusion

On the profile · Sep 9, 2026