Strengthening Disability Advocacy Conference 2023
Other lifeboats in the ocean

Mon 4 Sept 2023 | 10am - 4:30pm

All hands on deck: Implementing effective inclusion

With a tidal wave of evidence and research providing practical recommendations on how to remove barriers and make things better, why is implementing them all at sea?  Some gains have been made in universal access and there are protections for people with disability under discrimination law, but mostly it feels like rationing to ships biscuits.

When

Monday 4th September, 2023: 3:10pm - 4:15pm

Where

The Hall

Speaker

Facilitated by:

Julie Phillips, Disability advocacy Victoria

 Julie Phillips has been working in the disability sector for over 30 years.  As a Community Worker for the Victorian Deaf Society, Julie began advocating for members of the Deaf Community and supporting their rights to equal access in 1989 and continues that involvement to date. Currently, Julie is Manager of the Disability Discrimination Legal … Continued Photo of Julie Phillips, Disability advocacy Victoria

Session Summary

With a tidal wave of evidence and research providing practical recommendations on how to remove barriers and make things better, why is implementing them all at sea?  Some gains have been made in universal access and there are protections for people with disability under discrimination law, but mostly it feels like rationing to ships biscuits.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability is based on the social model of disability which says that disability is caused by the way society is organised, rather than by a person’s impairment or difference. It looks at ways of removing barriers that restrict life choices for disabled people.

So how do we get research and lived experience implemented into disability inclusion policy at a greater rate of knots?

How this will work:

  • The room will be divided into four sections- five tables of each system: Housing, Family Violence, Justice and the Legal System and Health and Wellbeing.
  • Attendees will sit at the table that they wish to discuss the reforms they heard about. from The presenters from the lightning round will be invited to join the tables to be a part of the discussions.  
  • At the tables, attendees will find a report card. This report card will ask the table to rate the reform in terms of how well its working, as well as what things are working well, what’s not working well and what still needs to happen to make the reforms real on the ground.  
  • There will be roving reporters moving between each table in each group listening in and collecting the insights and stories.  
  • At the end of the 30 minutes, the roving reporters from each group will go up on stage, and participate in a facilitated discussion about what they have heard from their groups.