Welcome to the Canberra Disability Review. We are setting out on this online venture mindful of the history of this publication. The first Canberra Disability Review was published by PWDACT from 2016 to 2018 with Craig Wallace as Editor and Robert Altamore as Publisher. That team set a high benchmark in creating a top-quality publication that provided original writing and an arena for voices on disability. We are grateful for their fine work and take their core aims to heart as we begin this new and exciting chapter.
It’s appropriate that the re-launch of the Canberra Disability Review is occurring in these interesting times. It is too frequently the case that diverse voices are drowned-out, and inclusive values set aside, when circumstances appear to be overwhelming. As a nation we still struggle to fully grasp the fact that the respect and support of the human rights of all people is not a matter of charity. It is intrinsic to the nature of a truly just and human society.
We too often fail to recognise that talk of a fair-go for all is only genuine where issues of disadvantage are fully recognized and effectively addressed. There is no fair-go for all where having disability means there’s a greater likelihood of experiencing violence and abuse, being unemployed, being treated as a lesser priority in times of emergency, being allocated to the too-hard basket and denied opportunities to learn and work and experience belonging.
We hope this review will provide an arena where the insights and wisdom of peoples’ lived experience can be shared, where injustice and disabling social structures and attitudes can be highlighted and challenged, where achievements can be celebrated, and where change-making conversations might begin. It’s a tall order. The ultimate success of this venture will not be measured by the size of our readership but by the changed thinking and better-informed decisions that are sparked when readers encounter the experiences that are shared here.
Rob Donnelly
Editor
Canberra Disability Review