Our History

MIDWAY - Meath Intellectual Disability Work Advocacy You Ltd (formally Meath Sheltered Workshop) is a voluntary organisation, which was established in 1982 by parents and friends of people with intellectual disabilities who were in inappropriate day services in Co. Meath. The services were developed over the years with an emphasis on sheltered contract type work delivered at Beechmount Industrial Estate in Navan. In 1992 the building was extended to accommodate the growing number of people attending the service.

1996

1996 saw the opening of a community based service in temporary accommodation in Kells where 20 people who had originally travelled daily to Navan were relocated to their own community. A number of service users also commenced employment in a food processing factory in that year.

2000

 
November 2000 saw the appointment of a new Director of Services at MIDWAY and the services changed focus in line with best practice in an all encompassing social model of service delivery. The use of Person Centred Planning and Supported Employment as technologies to accommodate change focused any future development of the organisation firmly on the service user.
2001
2001 brought the opening of a purpose built centre at Climber Hall in Kells. The Supported Employment Bureau was established in the latter part of 2001 to facilitate the development of employment in mainstream settings for service users.
2002
In 2002 a total refurbishment of the building took place in Beechmount Navan which took 4months to complete. The opening of the refurbished building coincided with the introduction of the Rehabilitative Training programme into the organisation.
2003/4
2003 and 2004 saw the consolidation of services throughout the organisation with significant changes in quantum and quality of services on offer. The latter end of 2004 identified a total service user number of 142 people with the amalgamation of MTEC and NEO.
2005
The new developments in 2005 resulted in opening two new local services, one in Trim and one in Leighsbrook in Navan.
In September 2005 we launch a new round of the three year rehabilitative training programme which will be known as the MTEC PROGRAMME.
The main achievement of the development of our services since its inception is the continued focus on service users individual needs. The challenge for future developments will be to maintain the ever changing needs with an aging population emerging on one hand and a younger population on the other. But we must remember ONE SIZE does not fit all. Thus the challenge for the future is to give direction to the development of the organisation which must remain firmly focused on the ever changing needs of the individual.