Youth award for moneygall man michael

Moneygall native Michael Hayes was recently presented with the Roscrea Stands Up Youth Award for 2014/15 in recognition of his many achievements in life.
Born with the extremely rare Apert Syndrome, Michael had the bones of his digits fused. He has only one finger and a thumb on each hand. Before he was 2, he had to undergo surgery to allow his skull open up so that his brain could develop. He is also blind.
But Michael, now aged 22, hasn't let his sight-loss or his physical disability affect him at all. His receiving of the Roscrea Youth Award demonstrates that life's challenges have not held him back.
The citation on the award reads that Michael received it partly for his performance in 'Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat' (with the CBS in Nenagh) his participation in Nenagh Toastmasters, playing blind soccer, and his distinction in the Leaving Certificate Applied (as part of his Office and Admin module, Michael designed braille signs for all the fire extinguishers at Nenagh CBS).
The award also recognises Michael's membership and dedication to Enable Ireland (for which he received the Bronze Gaisce Award from the President), his keyboard performances at local communions and family funerals, and his membership of the Irish Wheelchair Assocation's bastketball team. He is also musical, and plays the bodhrán, recently turning in a solo performance before an audience of 500 people in a charity concert for children in Uganda.
There are only about 20 people in the country with Apert Syndrome and Michael is the eldest. Son of Michael and Marian Hayes, he is the youngest in a family of four.
Michael loves to write. He writes about places that have rich sounds in the background; these are obviously more exciting for Michael. He loves airports but also loves just walking at home in Moneygall, out in the country.
When he was 13, Michael's loving family referred him for assessment to ChildVision, the national education centre for blind children, which has a campus in Dublin. When the International Communication Project (ICP 2014) was introduced to the Vocational Education students at ChildVision, there was no surprise that Michael was first in line. He volunteered to develop a video that would speak not only on behalf of himself, but for his peers and others around the world for whom communication is in equal parts struggle and triumph. You can watch the video by searching for 'ChildVision Ireland' on You Tube.
Michael knows that triumph better than most, a direct result of kind donations to ChildVision. Weekly mobility sessions on campus mean that Michael, who is totally blind, can travel independently from the vocational classrooms to the primary school. He's developed his literacy, IT and braille skills through the ChildVision library and resource teacher. And the speech and language therapy has helped Michael’s stammer all but disappear.
Michael has a big heart and loving nature that will never be locked inside him – they are beautiful gifts he can bring to the world.