Geary’s bar in Charleville, County Cork, is using AssistiV Ireland’s screen-based app to support 25-year-old employee David Mullins, who has an intellectual disability, as reported by the Irish Examiner, giving HR and hospitality teams a practical model for inclusive hiring.

AssistiV Ireland is a social enterprise and app that helps people with intellectual disabilities and autistic people build confidence and independence at work, supported by Heineken and used by employers including ISS, Hyatt Centric The Liberties Dublin and Hodson Bay Group, according to its website. Financial figures are not publicly available.

Heineken Ireland is one of Ireland’s leading beer and cider companies, with a brewing heritage in Cork of more than 160 years, and employs approximately 400 people across the island of Ireland, according to Business in the Community Ireland.

Geary’s is a bar in Charleville, County Cork, and has supported young people through St Joseph’s Foundation into work over the years, according to general manager Corina Gough.

The strategic logic is task simplification. The app converts complex tasks into simple visual and audio cues, removing barriers related to literacy, numeracy and confidence, according to the Irish Examiner.

The structural driver is an employment gap: Ireland has one of the lowest employment rates for people with disabilities in Europe at 32.6%, falling to 17% for people with intellectual disabilities, according to Inclusion Ireland as cited by the Irish Examiner.

Corina Gough, general manager at Geary’s, said, as reported by the Irish Examiner: “AssistiV’s technology has been instrumental in supporting David to work with greater independence.”

Brian O’Leary, account manager at AssistiV Ireland, said, as reported by the Irish Examiner: “We want to show employers that inclusive employment is achievable, practical, and hugely rewarding.”

AssistiV is now supporting 23 roles in hospitality and 25 more in other sectors, according to the Irish Examiner, and plans to reach 1,000 users by 2030.

For the sector, the case shows an employer using task-guide technology and an industry partner’s backing to widen inclusive hiring in hospitality, with training benefits extending to all new staff, according to Geary’s general manager.

Source: Irish Examiner