People who have intellectual disability and high & complex communication support needs are often overlooked in advocacy and reform. This cohort are most at risk of having institutionalised lives and expectations. Having agency and voice is dependent on others knowing, acknowledging and acting on your behalf. Leave no-one behind.
How do we ensure agency, dignity and respect is afforded to people with disability who are dependent on other to advocate on their behalf? Why is this group of people being left behind in current reform? How do we change this?
This high profile panel with extensive personal and professional experience of disability will lead a compelling discussion presenting the urgent need for action to ensure people with profound disability, who are more frequently in segregated settings, are considered & included in advocacy and reform.

Plain Language Abstract

This presentation is by a group of people. 

The presentation is about people who have intellectual disability and very high communication support needs (people with little or no speech). It is about people who rely on other people to be able to communicate. This is sometimes called dependency – people who depend on other people so they can communicate.

These people are left out in my things in life. They are not given the choices that other people have.

This presentation is about giving people voice when they are dependent on other people.

This presentation is about people with disabilities from different cultures. Sometimes we use the term CALD or culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. It is about people with disability from different cultures.

We did a project with people from Afghan, Burmese, Bhutanese, and Arab communities.

We worked with people with disabilities from these communities.

We learnt about disability in the cultures. We worked with the communities to include people with disabilities.

Plain Language Abstract 

This presentation is about neurodivergent people. It includes people who identify as autistic, ADHD, or dyslexic. 

We sent a survey out to the staff at the University of Melbourne. 

The people who filled out the survey told us if they were neurodivergent or neurotypical.  

The neurodivergent people told us if they had told people at their job that they were neurodivergent. This is sometimes called disclosure.  

Some people told their colleagues that they were autistic of ADHD. Some people chose not to tell people at work. 

People had different reasons for telling or not telling people about their identity. Some people said their choice made things better. Some people said their choice made things harder at work. 

We think work places need to learn more about neurodiversity. 

This presentation is about children with vision impairment and Australian playgrounds.

We read about children with vision impairment and playgrounds.

Parents and professionals filled in a survey about children with vision impairment and playgrounds.

We visited playgrounds.

We learnt that children with vision impairment enjoyed playgrounds. They played with other children. But moving around the playground could be difficult.

Parents worried about their child getting hurt. Some parents did not go to playgrounds.

We listened and wrote down what might make things better. We think playgrounds can be made better for children with vision impairment.