The woman appointed by the Health Service Executive to liaise with whistleblowers concerned about services for vulnerable users is a thalidomide survivor who has campaigned against Government cuts affecting the disabled.
Leigh Gath will start work as confidential recipient for HSE-funded services, dealing with allegations of abuse and mistreatment made by staff or service users.
Her appointment was announced by HSE director Tony O’Brien at a summit with disability organisations.
Born in Newry, Co Down, and educated in special schools in Belfast, Gath has been a disability campaigner all her adult life. In 2012, she was one of a group of campaigners who forced a Government climbdown on disability cuts after camping out in front of the Dáil overnight.
The mother of two lives in Limerick with her husband Eugene Gath, whom she met through the thalidomide community. Her autobiography, Don't Tell Me I Can't, was published in 2012.
"Through the support of family and friends as well as sheer determination, Leigh overcame prejudices, lived through the Troubles in Northern Ireland and escaped life with an alcoholic husband while raising two babies, only to find love again," reads the blurb on the cover.
“This is not the story of a ‘victim’ but instead one of a woman who has learnt and grown through the experiences life has thrown her way, has never let anyone steal her dreams and is still an activist working for dignity and respect for all people with disabilities.”
