Áine Maeve Kelly-Costello (born 30 March 1995) is a New Zealand

climate justice Climate justice is a type of environmental justice that focuses on the unequal impacts of climate change on marginalized or otherwise vulnerable populations. Climate justice seeks to achieve an equitable distribution of both the burdens of clima ...

and

disability rights The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all disabled people. It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocates, around ...

campaigner and journalist, and musician. They competed in the

London 2012 Paralympic Games The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international Multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Sum ...

in swimming, becoming New Zealand Paralympian #180.

Early life

Kelly-Costello attended

Pinehurst School Pinehurst School is a private education institute located in Auckland, New Zealand with a roll of students in . The institute was established on 3 March 1991, The school offers the International General Certificate of Secondary Education, ...

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand. Their school nominated them for the 2012 Sir George Elliot Scholarship and they were one of the three successful applicants; scholarship recipients are chosen for their academic ability and having experienced a challenging background.

Para swimming career

Kelly-Costello competed in

Para swimming Para swimming is an adaptation of the sport of swimming (sport), swimming for athletes with disability, disabilities. Para swimmers compete at the Swimming at the Summer Paralympics, Summer Paralympic Games and at other sports competitions through ...

as a teenager. They won four gold medals at the 2009 Australian Paralympic Youth Games in Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Kelly-Costello is blind and competed in the S11 sports class. They have a rare recessive genetic disorder known as

Leber congenital amaurosis Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) is a rare inherited eye disease that appears at birth or in the first few months of life. It affects about 1 in 40,000 newborns. LCA was first described by Theodor Leber in the 19th century. It should not be ...

. They were selected to the New Zealand team for the

. They competed in four freestyle and backstroke events. Kelly-Costello retired from Para swimming following London 2012 aged 17 to focus on their passion for music.

Career as a climate justice and disability advocate

Kelly-Costello worked as a community organiser for the Access Matters campaign for accessibility law. In 2021, they completed a Masters in Investigative Journalism from Gothenburg University, conducting for their thesis a qualitative analysis on the practice of climate change journalism. This work has been featured in The Conversation. Their writing on climate justice and disability rights has also appeared in other prominent media outlets. They host and produce Disability Crosses Borders, an independent podcast and blog featuring conversations where disability, migration and culture meet.

Passion for music

As a musician, Kelly-Costello plays a variety of instruments, and has led the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in concert.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly-Costello, Áine New Zealand disability rights activists Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Paralympics New Zealand musicians New Zealand bloggers Living people 1995 births Paralympic swimmers for New Zealand People educated at Pinehurst School