Tonight Art After Hours celebrates International Day of People with Disability. Start with a panel of four artists from the Front Up Emerge Program as they discuss their process of creating a collaborative art installation at Barangaroo.
Monday 21, November to Sunday, 11 December 2016
International Day of People with Disability (IDPWD) is celebrated annually in NSW with the Don't DIS my ABILITY campaign. It encourages communities in NSW to think and act inclusively, in all aspects of life.
This year’s Don’t DIS My ABILITY Campaign, ‘I Can, I Am’ celebrates people with disability who have overcome barriers to reach meaningful jobs.
Don’t DIS My ABILITY seeks to inspire and build confidence in people with disability to find employment, but also challenges the public to re-evaluate their attitudes around the employment of people with disability.
The campaign runs in conjunction with The International Day of People with Disability celebrated annually on 3 December. Join the conversation on Facebook @dontdismyability and watch the employment stories of Heidi, Iz and Nathan in film - all of the videos are also on the Don't DIS my ABILITY home page.
These links provide information about events run by other organisations that might be of interest to people with Down syndrome, their families, carers and professionals who support them
‘Understanding Abuse’ and 'Staying Safe' forum
This is not just your average night at the movies. Arriving on the red carpet will be like walking onto a live stage, with music and live performances, before a night of film to celebrate International Day of People with Disability!
It’s an event not to miss, with a stellar line up including Paralympian Dylan Alcott, Actor Alex Jones and key talent yet to be announced. To top off the night we will hear from NSW filmmaker Sofya Gollan and have the opportunity to watch her locally made, award-winning short film Gimpsey.
Tickets are FREE and canapés and refreshments will be served.
This is a featured event and showcase for this year’s Don't DIS my ABILITY campaign.
For information about IDPWD events in NSW, visit the Don't DIS my ABILITY website.
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| Event Cinemas 159 - 175 Church St Parramatta 11 am Screening with audio description 11.10 am Screening with open captions 11.30 am Relaxed screening with chill out space next door RSVP: eventbrite.com.au or IDEAS freecall 1800 029 904 or SMS 0458 296 602 All program and venue information Access All Areas Film Festival 2016 across NSW |
Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services, Jane Prentice has announced this year’s National Disability Awards winners at a gala ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra tonight.
Mrs Prentice congratulated the 10 winners noting that they have all made a remarkable effort to improve the lives of people with disability.
“These passionate and hardworking people and organisations have been recognised for their commitment and contribution to achieving greater inclusion and accessibility for people with disability,” she said.
“The National Disability Awards, now in their 10th year, are an excellent opportunity to honour and recognise the hard work and achievements of every day Australians who are making a real difference to the lives of people with disability.”
This year’s winners demonstrate a range of outstanding achievements including:
- long-term advocates in social justice, equality and rights for people with disability;
- the development of innovative technology that has the ability to bring function to paralysed or damaged hands;
- a program that gives people with disability the chance to experience scuba diving in the comfort of their own local pool; and
The 10 Award winners were chosen across eight Award categories drawn from a field of more than 120 nominations.
- a community that strives to make its town more accessible.
“I would like to thank all the winners for the remarkable work being done to break down barriers faced by people with disability and to make Australia a more inclusive society,” Mrs Prentice said.
The National Disability Awards are a major part of the Commonwealth Government’s celebration of International Day of People with Disability, marked on 3 December each year.
Congratulations to all the finalists in this year’s National Disability Awards. These Awards recognise the achievements of people and organisations that have improved the lives of people with disability. This year is the 10th anniversary of the Awards and what an outstanding group of people and organisations have taken part.Finalists announced for the 10th National Disability Awards
Developing innovative, attractive and educational web and sound applications, tools and programs that enable children with vision impairment to acquire essential digital skills.“As a nation that prides itself on supporting the development of an inclusive society, I am proud to see the commitment and significant contributions made by our finalists over the last 10 years,” Mrs Prentice said.
Creating inclusive opportunities for people with disability, injury or medical condition to experience freedom of movement in a weightless environment.
Raising the profile of justice issues faced by people with disability.
Increasing participation in and access to the arts for people who are deaf and hard of hearing.
Facilitating employment opportunities for people with disability.
Lesley Hall Leadership Award*“To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the National Disability Awards, I encourage all Australians to look to the achievements of our disability champions spanning the past decade and learn how we can work together to reduce social discrimination, to innovate and to bring about change for people with disability.
Employer of the Year Award
Excellence in Community Partnerships
Excellence in Inclusive Community Design
Excellence in Inclusive Service Delivery
Excellence in Technology
Excellence in Education and Training
Excellence in Justice and Rights Protection.
"We will be shown as neither victims nor heroes, but agents of our own destiny", Graeme InnesWe need a disability abuse Royal Commission
So this International Day of People with Disability, instead of the usual celebrations, the most appropriate thing the new Turnbull Government could do is announce a Royal Commission into violence against people with disability to lance a great evil and cauterise the wound lest we repeat mistakes made in the institutions and practices of the past ...
Don't DIS my ABILITYWe asked a bunch of kids questions about people with a disability.Congratulations Gerard O'Dwyer: 2015 Don't DIS my ABILITY ambassador
Then they met two of our 2015 Don't DIS my ABILITY ambassadors, Tracy Barrell and Gerard O'Dwyer.
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.
33-year-old Josie McLean from Sydney’s Northern Beaches is excited to have been selected to represent Australia in tenpin bowling. Josie says, ‘When I opened the letter telling me I was selected I yelled and shouted with excitement. In my large family, I’ll be the first and only person to represent Australia and that’s truly wonderful.’Congratulations to Josie, and to Carley Chapman (Athletics) and to all of the athletes selected for Team Australia 2015 - you can see all of the team members here.
... At the end of October I traveled to Melbourne with the NSW team to compete at the Special Olympics National Games in gymnastics.
Of course it was a lot of hard work in the gym to get there. I started gymnastics at the age of six, and had my first competition when I was nine. Since then I have continued training and competing at regional, state, national and even world games ...
... read or listen to all of Chris's article, and see some excellent photos here.Chris is an accomplished young man who has often featured in our blog, you can read about some of his other achievements here.
