Our Irish member Cope Foundation has officially rebranded as Horizons. The new name, logo and brand were presented during an event held at Heatherlee Canteen in Montenotte, marking a significant and exciting step in the organisation’s evolution.

The rebrand is the result of extensive stakeholder engagement which included people supported by the organisation, their families and the broader community, and is aimed to reflect the organisation’s vision of supporting people with an intellectual disability and autism to live the life they want.

The Cork-based charity had been active for 67 years and is now supporting a total of 2800 people in more than 70 locations around Cork city and county. While the branding has changed, the organisation assured both service users and staff that all existing supports will remain in place.

With its fresh identity, Horizons will continue provide a range of rights-based, person-centred, accessible services aimed at fostering independence and improving quality of life.

Marguerite O’Brien, Acting Chief Executive Officer said: “Horizons is aiming to change people’s understanding of intellectual disabilities and ensure that people are valued, equal, and contributing to society with full control over their choices and lives. As an organisation, we are on a journey of transformation and change and I am really excited about our new name Horizons, which, I believe, truly reflects our vision and who we want to be.”

The organisation hopes that the new name and brand will help in reaching more people and making a larger impact, as explained by Noreen O’Driscoll, Member of the Advocacy Council: “There is lots of great work being done to promote disability rights and more equality. But a lot more work needs to be done. In the past, people like me were invisible, we had little choice in our daily lives. We faced lots of judgement from people and we still do today, which is a pity. This is why we need to change people’s understanding of intellectual disabilities and autism.”