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Joanne O'Riodan delivering her keynote UN address in April. Bebeto Matthews/AP/Press Association Images

Joanne O'Riordan documentary supported by €25k pledge

The Rehab Group is pledging funding and professional support for film about the Cork teenager born with no limbs.

THE REHAB GROUP has pledged €25,000 towards the production costs of a documentary film about Cork teenager Joanne O’Riordan.

The 16-year-old was born with the extremely rare condition Total Amelia, meaning she was born without all four limbs. Earlier this year, O’Riordan delivered the keynote speech at a United Nations conference in New York on women in technology.

She spoke about the difference technology has made to her life and challenged tech experts to build her a robot which could help her live a more independent life. MIT researchers subsequently contacted her to discuss her idea.

The Rehab Group says it is pledging funding and professional support to the filmmaker – O’Riordan’s older brother Steven. The film will focus on the teenager’s life at home and school and follows her on her journey to deliver that keynote UN address.

“Steven and Joanne’s film is a momentous opportunity to share the incredible story of a young determined girl and her family,” explained Rehab Group CEO Angela Kerins. “It is a chance to show people how those with disabilities can and do overcome challenges.”

The documentary, No Limbs, No Limits, will also feature interviews with Joanne O’Riordan’s family and experts who have worked with her through the years.

The production had recently appeared to be in jeopardy after the Irish Film Board turned down its application for funding.

Steven O’Riordan said he was “thrilled” with the Rehab Group’s support for the film project. “Joanne’s story is not only an interesting one, but it’s also an important one,” he said. “Thanks to Rehab’s generous support, this story can now be told.”

In full: Joanne O’Riordan’s speech at United Nations conference >

A robot, a song and a royal visit: big plans for Joanne O’Riordan >

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    Mute Caroline Molloy
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    Apr 13th 2012, 3:06 PM

    Communism doesn’t work !

    26
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    Mute Frank2521
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    Apr 13th 2012, 5:33 PM

    I saw on the TV that china are sending their workers to work in the mines in Zambia and in the forrests in Brazil that they own. This is a result of their work ethic of 7 days weeks with 10 to 12 hour days. As the work dries up in china I expect them to export more workers to Europe and wherever else they own. Our government have just agreed to grant more visas and set up a hub for the Chinese entry point to the EU. We ate selling our soul to the slave masters.

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    Mute Revolting Peasant
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    Apr 13th 2012, 6:08 PM

    “as the work dries up in china”??? uneducated claptrap, only germany exports more than china and that will soon reverse, they are buying as much of africa,asia and south america as they can for 3 reasons, food production to feed their massive population, mineral aquisition to supply their massive industrial production demand and energy production as a commodity to sell to europe and north america, one such plan is the covering of deserts with solar panels, my brother works for a chinese shipping company, they build cities to produce specific items like solar panels or oil pumps, within the next 3 years they will over take the usa as the worlds leading economy, their major advantages is their work ethic and flexibility, as the work dries up in china indeed, also they are building casinos all over the world, in the last 5 years the chinese have built more casinos in asia than all casinos previously built in the rest of the world combined

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    Mute Fagan's
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    Apr 13th 2012, 7:02 PM

    Their work ethic is impressive, however life is absolutely worthless there. If China becomes the leading world power, which it will, in next 5 years, it will represent a massive threat to democracy and freedom and could lead to rights we have taken for granted being rolled back.

    It’s the land of the indentured slave.

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    Mute Saffron Willetts
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    Apr 13th 2012, 6:42 PM

    When the Chinese are the next super power we will wish we had the americans back. Their work ethic is a slavery work ethic – and its not communism its capitalism with Asian values. I saw the zambian workers, they said the Chinese are the worst to work for.

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    Mute Martin Sinnott
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    Apr 13th 2012, 4:38 PM

    Ah no it only grew by 8%, how will they manage ! They should come back here for some lessons from Bertie.

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    Mute Dave Spart
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    Apr 13th 2012, 4:44 PM

    Er, basically this is another sign that international capitalism is in meltdown and only communism can save the oppressed masses…er……

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    Mute Michael J Hartnett
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    Apr 13th 2012, 5:14 PM

    I take it dave from your comment you have never been to a communist country

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    Mute Brian Callinan
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    Apr 14th 2012, 1:07 PM

    I’m pretty sure Dave was taking the piss guys.

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    Mute pip white
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    Apr 13th 2012, 7:09 PM

    see what happens when you sell your kidneys for an Ipad!!!

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    Mute DashRiprock
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    Apr 13th 2012, 5:39 PM

    I was watching an analyst on BBC earlier who stated that at this stage anything below 7% growth on China would basically be viewed as a recession by the markets… nice for some!

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    Mute Saffron Willetts
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    Apr 13th 2012, 6:49 PM

    The analyst on c4 also suggested that at the worst case scenario if economic growth serioiusly stalls in China the party may choose the option of uniting the people against the threat of an outside enemy to stop the huge population turning on itself.

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    Mute phantom duck Nibbler
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    Apr 13th 2012, 4:21 PM

    broken china in the 1 percents display cabinet , they wont be happy

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    Mute Tony Skillington
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    Apr 13th 2012, 10:38 PM

    8.1%????…..Christ we’d take a quarter of that!

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    Mute One-Off Ireland
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    Apr 14th 2012, 4:28 PM

    so 8.1 % means the total size of the Chinese economy doubles every 9 years. Physically impossible. there isnt enough resources or markets in the world. Oil peaked in 2006 and Chinese export economy is impossible without oil at a reasonable price.

    @revolting peasant ‘mineral acquisition’ is a very tame way to describe resource plunder and environmental destruction.

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    Mute Austin Tiernan
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    Apr 14th 2012, 4:09 AM

    That’s what a visit from Enda can do.

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