Ellen Keane has constantly stated that she is “putting herself out there” to “normalise” people with disabilities.
And her hard work has certainly paid off as a teacher shared an inclusive piece of artwork their classroom made.
Ellen admitted that her heart was “so full” when she received a message from a 3rd and 4th class teacher whose class created a mural that featured a swimmer with one arm.
“My 3rd and 4th class made this summer mural…it just shows the power of representation,” the message read.
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“It is the first time I have ever noticed a child drawing a picture of someone with one limb missing! I thought you might like to see the difference you are making in the world! You are an amazing example for us all!”
She then shared the mural that saw people enjoying a day on the beach, with a drawing of a woman swimming with one arm missing.
“Why I do what I do,” Ellen captioned the picture.
“This makes my heart so full. Thank you to all the 3rd & 4th class involved. It’s little things like this that can make such a huge difference in one person’s life.”
“I would like to go into media. I’ve been in front of the camera so much, but I kind of get sick of talking about myself all the time.”
Another reason why she wants to swap her swimming gear for a microphone is that she feels like she would be able to help “normalise” her disability.
“All I wanted to do was put myself out there and normalise my disability,” she explains. “The next step is normalising it. There’s not really anyone with a disability frequently on the screens in Ireland.”
