How do advocates get issues on the public agenda now? How do we best connect with allies, decision-makers and the general public? Do we need to shift our campaigns online, or are those mass rallies that served us so well in the past still effective enough to drive change?
When
Friday 2nd September, 2016: 12:00am - 1:00am
Where
The Hall
Speakers
Facilitated by:
Emma King, Chief Executive Officer, VCOSS
Emma also has an extensive background in the public sector and in workforce and education issues, having worked as a Victorian policy adviser, a teacher, and in a range of industrial and training roles at the Victorian Independent Education Union and the Finance Sector Union. Emma’s qualifications include a Masters in Industrial and Employee Relations, a Graduate Diploma of Education and a Bachelor of Arts. Photo of Emma King, Chief Executive Officer, VCOSSPanelists include:
Mary Mallett, Chief Executive Officer, Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA)
DANA is the Canberra based national peak body for independent disability advocacy in Australia. DANA supports organisations in every state and territory that work to promote and advocate for the rights of people with disability. With the advent of the NDIS independent advocacy will be even more important in assisting people to have true choice … Continued
Photo of Mary Mallett, Chief Executive Officer, Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA)Jax (Jacki) Brown, Activist and Performer
Jax Jacki Brown is a disability & queer rights activist, writer, spoken-word performer, public speaker and the co-producer of Quippings: Disability Unleashed, a disability performance troupe in Melbourne. She is a graduate of Southern Cross University with a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Studies and Communication, where she focused on disability and LGBTI/queer studies, providing a sound academic framework to affirm and explore her commitment to disability and social justice issues.
Photo of Jax (Jacki) Brown, Activist and PerformerIsabelle Oderberg, Social Media Manager, Red Cross Australia
After several years working as a journalist in London at Dow Jones and Reuters, Isabelle joined Melbourne’s Herald Sun as deputy business editor and Australia’s first social media editor. After 18 months she was promoted to national social media editor for News Corp Australia and was responsible for advising social media strategy, development, training, policy creation, implementation and branding across News Corp’s many local newsrooms.
Today she works in the not-for-profit sector in social media management, communications and high-level strategy. She has experience in social media training, management, strategy formulation and implementation, communications, crisis management and media relations and training.
Photo of Isabelle Oderberg, Social Media Manager, Red Cross AustraliaSusan Arthur, President, Reinforce
Susan is 33 years old and passionate about helping people with disabilities. She is currently a volunteer as a self-advocate with Reinforce where she is in her second year as elected President. Her passion is to make the world a better place for parents with intellectual disabilities and hopes that one day parents with I.D. can keep their children with the support they need. Her passion grew from her grandmother who also was very passionate about people with disabilities not living in institutions and all the other areas of human rights. Susan also runs a new group called The Powerful Parents Self Advocacy Group.
Photo of Susan Arthur, President, ReinforceSession Summary
The panel explored the ongoing issue of how the ‘invisibility’ of people with disability in public life, not just in the media but in mainstream everyday life, stops action on crucial issues, such as abuse and neglect.
The story board
The panelists talked about frustrating encounters with the media, who just want the “disability story this week” and present complex structural and systemic issues through age-old stereo types of ‘disability as tragedy’ or ‘disability as inspirational’.
Criticism of describing people with disability as "vulnerable". One claims it's insulting. Another says "that's why [advocacy] gets funded".
— VCOSS LIVE (@VCOSSlive) September 2, 2016
They also discussed the tension in language used, terms like ‘vulnerable’ that politicians and funders often use and how this perpetuates the experience of people with disability as “other”, and undermines notions of self determination.
“I work in the family violence sector,” said long-term disability advocate Tricia Malowney from the floor. “It’s time we stopped using language like ‘abuse’ and ‘neglect’ – it’s ‘violence’…..Using language like that enables segregation.”
Jax Jacki Brown said she prefers the term activist than advocate and uses art and performance to be humorous, engaging and provocative. She laments the decline of direct action, “One of our advantages as people with disability is that we unsettle nondisabled people when we gather and when we protest,” but was mindful that physical protests rely on people having the health and access to be involved. Jax elaborated further on this theme in her post session interview with Marie McInerney.
Personal stories are at the core of advocacy for Reinforce president Susan Arthur, who also runs the Powerful Parents Self Advocacy Group for parents with intellectual disability, many of whom have had their children removed.
The session also heard of the risks to systemic advocacy. Mary Mallett painted a bleak picture where fewer peak bodies are now recurrently funded and there is growing competition for both funds and attention within the disability sector.
Quantify the gap in advocacy and fund it! Simple! #SDAC16
— George Taleporos (@drgeorgethecrip) September 2, 2016
She drew attention to the recent campaign by the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) to stop Newstart payment cuts, a huge issue for people with disability.
“We actually need to get all other systemic advocacy players to take disability issues on board and be putting them at top of their priority lists,” she said. Hear more from Mary in her interview with Marie McInerney.
Tips from Australian Red Cross social media manager Isabelle Oderberg on using social media and dealing with traditional media were shared. The main takeaway is to understand the limitations of leaner newsrooms and give the media all that they need to cover a story.
Let's see how long the non-disabled white man can talk for, so far twice as long as any of the other speaker. privilege in action #SDAC16
— Jax Jacki Brown (@jaxjackibrown) September 2, 2016
Resources
Further information on topics relevant to the discussions in this session include:
- ’How would you feel?’ Susan’s 9 minute video on parents with intellectual disability having their children taken away.
- Gide to Reporting Disability, People with Disability Australia (PWDA)
- Reporting it Right, Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
- Cognitive Disability Digital Accessibility Guide, Media Access Australia