Para Sprinter Orla Comerford, fresh from winning double gold at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships, announced this week that she has entered into a landmark partnership with Uber.
Comerford, who competes in the T13 category for athletes with visual impairment, has become one of Ireland’s most compelling sporting voices. She is fast, fiercely competitive, and forthright about the challenges she has faced navigating both her sport and everyday life. How could you not be interested in someone with a visual impairment who, up until turning full-time as an athlete, worked in the Visual Arts space?
In her announcement, she spoke of being “excited to finally share” her work with Uber, presenting the partnership as something that naturally aligns with her values of independence and inclusion.
For Uber, the collaboration continues its growing involvement in disability and inclusive initiatives, including its support for Paralympics Ireland and Para Swimmer Roisín Ní Riain.
The practical significance of the deal should not be underestimated. Transport can be a significant barrier for athletes with visual impairments, whether travelling to training, competition, work, or simply maintaining daily independence.
Aligning with Uber allows Comerford to speak authentically about mobility, autonomy, and the broader societal expectations placed on people with disabilities.
For young athletes with disabilities, seeing an Irish para-sprinter partner with a global brand sends a powerful message that their experiences matter, their stories matter, and the sporting world — and commercial world — is increasingly behind them.
The tracks will remain the centre of Comerford’s athletic life as she builds toward LA 28. Still, this partnership sends out a clear message of a society where mobility, independence, and opportunity are better understood.
Image Credits: Sport for Business
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