'Say it to my face' ... a video to share widely

International Day of People with Disability (IDPWD) is designated by the United Nations as a time to celebrate and recognise the achievements, contributions and abilities of people with disability and is celebrated on 3 December each year. 

• Community Event Calendar on the IDPwD website.

Don't DIS my ABILITY
International Day of People with Disability (IDPWD) is celebrated annually in NSW with the Don't DIS my ABILITY campaign. The 2015 campaign was launched yesterday by the NSW Minister for Disability Services, John Ajaka. The focus this year is on building an inclusive community through awareness and understanding. The Don't DIS my ABILITY campaign will be providing everyday Australians with the tools to help them interact with and be more inclusive of people with disability, all day, everyday.

NO OFFENCE, BUT! Comedy Cabaret is back for 2015 with a kids matinee and 18 + events on 30th November 2015.  Details and booking information here.

The campaign video, Say It To My Face, is designed to warm hearts and challenge preconceptions about people with disability - it does an excellent job on both counts. Sharing is encouraged.

We asked a bunch of kids questions about people with a disability.

Then they met two of our 2015 Don't DIS my ABILITY ambassadors, Tracy Barrell and Gerard O'Dwyer.

Congratulations Gerard O'Dwyer: 2015 Don't DIS my ABILITY ambassador

Ambassadors are the voice of the Don’t DIS my ABILITY campaign. Each year, our ambassadors share their powerful personal stories to raise awareness of the abilities and achievements of people with disability. They also support the campaign by engaging the wider community to think and act inclusively, in all aspects of life. 

The 2015 ambassadors are a diverse group of talented and passionate people from across NSW who are living life to the fullest, including participating in workplaces, schools, communities and at home.

Gerard O'Dwyer 

Gerard is an experienced actor and feels at home in front of the camera and treading the boards on theatre stages. He loves entertaining audiences through his roles, simultaneously challenging stereotypes about Down Syndrome and other intellectual disabilities. His list of credits include the Tropfest short film, Be My Brother, which won him the best actor award in 2009 among other dramatic and comedic performances in TV, film and theatre. Currently he's been working in his first feature length film and he will be making his first foray into opera in the production of Menotti-The Medium Opera Prometheus in 2016. Gerard says if he could give advice to both his younger self and people living with disability he would say: “Just go for it. Keep doing what you love and you can achieve anything if you set your mind to it.” He lives in Guildford in Western Sydney.

Read about the other 2015 Ambassadors, and other people with Down syndrome who have served as ambassadors in previous campaigns here.

• Don't DIS my ABILITY on Facebook and Twitter