COMMUNITY TAKES DISABILITY DAY LEAD
Canberrans with disability will mark the tomorrows UN International Day of People with Disability (I-Day) on Tuesday 3 December with a packed 2 hour virtual handover ceremony and panel event.
The event will mark the full handover of the management of I-Day from government to people with disability in the ACT – an Australian first.
It will feature speakers, words, art and announcements for the future from disability leaders across the community.
What’s happening?
Our lives our voices – shaping the future through voice, power, identity and self-direction.
Virtual I-Day event from 12.00pm to 2.00pm on Tuesday 3 December – join here https://events.humanitix.com/our-lives-our-voices-shaping-the-future-through-voice-power-identity-and-self-direction
Here’s what you can look forward to:
Formal opening and traditional welcome (12 noon)
Advocacy for Inclusion Chair Di Melham and Aunty Violet Sheridan will lead us through a formal welcome.
Handover ceremony and charter launch (12.20pm)
The newly appointed ACT Minister for Disability, Suzanne Orr MLA will formally hand the day back to people with disabilities followed by the launch of the new shared charter for the International Day and responses from community leaders.
A charter representing a shared commitment to community-controlled observance of the United Nations International Day of People with Disability in the ACT will be launched.
This Charter has been developed to guide observance of I-Day and its control in the ACT by people with disability and is one product of almost a year of close consultation with people with disability in the ACT lead by disability organisations.
An online platform enables community members, allies and supporters to endorse the charter and provide their own statements – this can be found here <insert link>
New leaders for a community I-Day (from 12.30pm)
Attendees will get the chance to meet a lineup of community members with a disability who will help steer the new I-Day. The new members for the disability I-Day steering committee co-chaired by Advocacy for Inclusion and Women with Disabilities ACT includes powerful disabled voices from the arts, advocacy, youth, CALD and LGBTIQA+ communities.
A list of the new members, selected by disability organisations with support from the ACT Office For Disability, is at Attachment A.
Side event: I-Day Words and Pictures to shape our future (12.50pm)
We will present a showcase of written work and images from people with disability prepared specially for I-Day which speak to the new community themes of voice, power, identity and self direction. We will also unveil the new ACT I-Day website at https://actiday.org.au/
Panel discussion on new community themes (1.00pm)
A panel debate focusing on the new community themes of Voice, Power, Identity and Self Direction will be hoisted by renowned national ABC radio presenter and broadcast host Ellen Fanning.
Featuring Dr Rhonda Galbally AC, former Disability Royal Commission Commissioner, Sean Fitzgerald, Founder of Consumers in Control and pioneer of self-directed funding in ACT, Angela Braido, ACT Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disability Reference Group Member and Renée Heaton, Chair of the Disability Reference Group plus leaders from Women with Disabilities ACT and Advocacy for Inclusion
Quotes attributable to disability leaders:
Craig Wallace, Head of Policy, Advocacy for Inclusion:
“This year we’re kicking off I-Day with an event called “Our Lives, Our Voices – Shaping the future through voice, power, identity and self-direction” with a smashing panel hosted by Ellen Fanning, best known for her role in the hot seat on the national ABC program ‘The Drum’.
“The event will also host the official handover of I-Day to the community through a Charter, a showcase of words and images speaking to the new local I-Day themes of Voice, Power, Self-Direction and Identity plus the launch of a new I-Day website.
“We want people with disabilities to feel proud, heard and seen in everything we do. It will take love, time and hard work but we want I-Day to be as present in the lives of people in Canberra as the National Multicultural Festival and Spring Out.”
Kat Reed, Chief Executive Officer, Women with Disability
“The transfer of I-Day to the disability community in Canberra is the culmination of two years of consultation, collaborative work and enthusiasm by people with disability and representative organisations. We thank those involved and we also acknowledge the trust and partnership from the ACT government and successive Ministers.
“WWDACT are pleased to be co-chairing the new I-Day steering committee and look forward to seeing what strong, passionate and intersectional voices can create. This has been a challenging year for many people in disability rights and its appropriate that the community takes ownership of the day and can ensure that it is about truth telling and honesty as well as celebration.
“The ACT is full of proud, talented and diverse women with disability and we can’t wait to tap the talent we see in our work and members. We look forward to helping shape a day that is strongly embraced by people with disability which makes a difference to policies, programs and perceptions across the whole year”.
I-Day in the ACT is a community initiative managed by a Steering Committee co-chaired by AFI and WWDACT and supported with funding from the ACT government
Media Contacts
Craig Wallace, Head of Policy on 0477 200 755 and Kat Reed, Chief Executive Officer Women with Disabilities ACT 0412 094 757
Attachment A
Meet the New ACT IDAY Steering Committee:
The co-Chairs of the International Day of People with Disability in the ACT Advocacy for Inclusion and Women with Disabilities ACT have unveiled the first ever non-government steering committee which will help oversight and plan events for the UN International Day of people with Disability (IDAY) in the ACT following its move to community control.
The new Steering Committee brings together powerful disabled voices from the arts, the education sector, advocacy, youth, CALD and LGBTIQA+ communities.
Liz Lea
Liz Lea is an award-winning artist and was 2017 ACT Artist of the Year. Liz has 30 years’ experience as a nationally and internationally recognised dance artist, choreographer and producer. Liz has been commissioned in India, UK, Australia, South Africa, Singapore, Kuwait and USA and has extensive national and international experience in the community and inclusive dance field, having directed many inclusive dance works across Europe, Asia and Australia including 15 I-Day events across the past 15 years.
Liz brings this extensive experience to the Steering Committee alongside her lived experience of disability together with national and international connections in the arts and disability awareness. Liz also works as an Audio Describer. And is a keen believer in the power of the Canberra community and the power of community engaged arts.
Louise (Lou) Bannister
Lou has two and half decades of experience as a disability advocate and consumer representative in the ACT, and a lifetime of lived experience as a person with a disability. Lou is passionate about changing attitudes and assumptions to create a fully inclusive community through leadership, mentoring, education, and advocacy. Lou works to build strong partnerships across the ACT, based on the mantra, “Nothing about us without us!”
Lou brings this wealth of experience to the I-Day Steering Committee. Lou looks forward to all Canberrans coming together to celebrate I-Day, with events that highlight the diversity, achievements, creativity and talents of our community. Inclusive celebrations where people with disability can be vocal, visible and proud.
Ravi Krishnamurthy
Ravi Krishnamurthy is a leader whose dedication to disability rights has made a national impact. As President of the Australian Multicultural Action Network (AMAN), he has created spaces for individuals with disabilities, particularly from multicultural backgrounds, to lead discussions and influence policies, programs, and public attitudes. His efforts have advanced inclusion and representation, ensuring diverse voices contribute to systemic change and a fairer society.
Through his work with the ACT Health Disability Reference Group, Ravi has driven systemic reforms, collaborating with government agencies to prioritize the involvement of people with disabilities in decision-making. His initiatives bridge cultural and disability divides, amplifying underrepresented voices and inspiring change across Australia.
His vision for International Day of People with Disability (I-Day) in the ACT exemplifies his dedication to empowerment and unity. Ravi advocates for I-Day to become a platform where people with disabilities lead every aspect, showcasing their achievements, sharing their journeys, and driving meaningful change. His leadership embodies a national vision of inclusion, turning advocacy into action that inspires pride, amplifies identity, and catalyses progress across Australia.
Liliana Russell
Liliana brings to the Steering Committee her lived experience of visual impairment. Together with her education background, wide community connections, and strong links with national and local organisations, Liliana values the importance of communication and collaboration.
With broad Wellbeing and Diversity experience in the Education sector, Liliana brings a specialist and unique perspective into the inclusion of students with a disability into our community and is a passionate advocate for giving these children a voice.
Liliana would like to see I-Day as a celebration of true inclusion that celebrates ability, access, and participation for all, regardless of the disability, and that is a day for all ages in community, work, and school settings.
Fi Peel
Fi is an early-career writer, musician, theatre artist, podcaster and creative producer, creating with gratitude on Ngunnawal and Ngambri lands. They specialise in multi-disciplinary explorations of the arts, health, philosophy, behavioural and social sciences, to mediate authentic expressions of story and voice. Fi is also an access, inclusion, equity and diversity consultant and disability arts innovator, using peer work practice and leadership praxis to support re-emerging artists with lived experience of mental health challenges, disability and other experiences of marginalisation.
As a mental health, disability, queer and social justice advocate Fi brings these experiences to the committee and would love to see I-Day celebrated in ways that involve universal co-design (not consultation) to ensure access and inclusion for as many people living with disability as possible, regardless of whether they are community participants or event organisers.
Taryn Lee (co-opted member)
Taryn is a youth advocate and brings enthusiasm, ideas and energy to the Steering Committee. Taryn is part of a number of committees including the Western Australia peak body for LGBTQIA+ youth, the Youth Pride Network, and an advocate in the Prevention of Gender Based Violence Youth Advisory Group led by the Department of Education. Taryn also brings to the committee their lived experience of disability, intersectionality and disability advocacy skills.
Taryn would love to see I-Day to focus on representation – having disabled artists perform, having a film screening of films that feature people with disability; and opening up the conversation – reducing the stigma surrounding disability, and having people with lived experience and advocates talk about their own experiences.