John Patrick Clarke Biography

Pat Clarke is the Vice President of the European Disability Forum having retired as Chief Executive of Down Syndrome Ireland and Past- President of Down Syndrome International. His son, David, has Down syndrome.

Pat is a past Chair of the Disability Federation of Ireland and has served on the boards of the Children Rights Alliance Ireland and on the governing body of the International Disability Alliance. He was a member of the Council of Europe Committee, which investigated the involvement of persons with disabilities in political and public life. His involvement with the Disability Federation of Ireland, the European Disability Forum and the International Disability Alliance gives him a pan-disability perspective on all the issues. He has been a long-time advocate for the full inclusion of people with Down syndrome in particular and all people with disabilities in general in society at every level.