It is with great pleasure that we announce Tim Harte as PDA’s new VIC Director.
Tim’s lived experience as an NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) participant, disability pensioner and rural young person drives his commitment to empowering the voice and agency of people with disabilities.
Tim has tertiary qualifications in performing arts and science and has a background in disability, social & environmental justice activism and currently holds roles in Landcare, Australian Youth Climate Coalition, and the Deakin University Environmental Justice Club.
Tim is a Board Member of the Youth Affairs Council Victoria (YACVic), the peak body representing young people and the youth sector in Victoria, and is a member of the YACVic Youth Mental Health working group and the Commonwealth Children and Youth Disability Network.
Tim strongly supports the human rights-based model of disability and advocates for equitable access to services and meaningful participation and inclusion of people with disabilities in society.
Please join us in welcoming Tim to the PDA Board.
We look forward to working with Tim and capitalising on his experiences, energy and commitment to driving positive change in Australia’s disability landscape.
In supporting the disability community, PDA recognises and celebrates the potential value that self-employment offers in helping people with disability overcome barriers to work.
Research has revealed that “*people with disability are 40 per cent more likely to be self-employed than their able-bodied counterparts”.
If you’re a PDA Member and you’ve been thinking about starting your own business, have a business idea, want help in making your entrepreneurial move or simply want to learn about setting up a business, PDA’s first Webinar for 2021 may inspire you to take the first step towards financial independence.
Elle Steele is a successful entrepreneur, business owner, former Paralympian, Model, Optimist, Mentor and Motivation Queen.
As Presenter, she will provide the framework to setting up your own business and taking control of your employment options and your financial future.
This EXCITING FREE WEBINAR will be run on Thursday 25th March at 6pm AEST and you can register by clicking on the button below:
We look forward to seeing you there.
*https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2020/06/people-with-disability-turn-to-entrepreneurship/
PDA’s 18-30 year old initiative has rebranded and will now be known as PDA Youth Network.
This decision was made following feedback and discussion from members and the Committee.
We believe that this new name positively reflects the importance and need for PDA’s younger members having their own community that understands the needs and wants of young Australian adults living with physical disability.
With your help, we want to build up PDA Youth Network and make it truly representative of you, our fellow members.
So we ask our 18-30 year old members to get on board and help. Whether this means joining one of our regular Zoom sessions (now every third Thursday of the month – see below*), getting involved on our committee, sharing your ideas, posting on our Facebook group page or inviting your friends to join our Youth Network.
Our *Zoom sessions will now be known as “Hangouts” and will run every third Thursday of the month at 7pm AEDT. Our next Hangout will be on Thursday 18th February and you can register at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrc-GqrDwpHdWVcSOD2mVq4XbwP9P2ZOv4
Catch up with friends. Make new friends. Get social. Have fun.
7pm Sydney/Canberra/Melbourne/Hobart
6:30pm Adelaide
6pm Brisbane
5:30pm Darwin
4pm Perth
Wherever you want to be involved, we welcome you to play a part in making the Youth Network as strong, relevant, fun and worthwhile as possible.
Send us an email at promotion@pda.org.au or a DM.
We look forward to working with you.
Kathryn, Jonathan and Nick
Tammy Milne is another recent and valuable addition to the PDA Board.
She lives on the North West Coast of Tasmania.
Living with Arthrogrophosis Multiplex Congenita, she brings lived experience of disability and a strong passion for disability and human rights to the PDA Team.
Having been with the Department of Education Tasmania for 32 years she has many strings to her bow – working as teacher aide, educational interpreter for the Deaf, Intern Teacher and Librarian.
Recently resigned, she looks forward to her work with PDA and continuing to be a “fierce warrior” in standing up for and supporting the disabled community.
Welcome to the PDA Team Tammy!
PDA is proud to welcome Melanie Hawkes to the role of Associate Director for Western Australia.
Melanie is a wonderful addition to the PDA Team, with extensive experience in the disability sector and with a professional background working in media and corporate communications.
She is also fluent in Japanese, enjoys socialising with friends and family, attending concerts and events and spending time with her much-loved, retired assistance dog.
It’s a pleasure and honour to have you involved on the PDA Board Melanie. Welcome!
Maggie Coggan from Pro Bono Australia has written a great article about PDA President Liz Reid.
It’s an insightful read about Liz, her story around who she really is and the motivation behind her dedication to ensuring social justice and that everyone is seen and respected.
https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2021/01/fighting-for-fair/
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut nec urna in ante euismod suscipit. Duis et ultrices est. Praesent imperdiet dui nec tortor rhoncus, in scelerisque libero ullamcorper. Phasellus nec urna eu lectus placerat pellentesque in quis nisl. Duis ut mollis elit, non mollis est. Quisque lorem sem, lobortis ac arcu sit amet, viverra pulvinar dolor. Quisque interdum nunc at sapien vehicula, sit amet fringilla quam lobortis. Etiam vitae aliquet augue, vitae condimentum erat. Aliquam et efficitur sapien. Praesent maximus id erat quis cursus. Aenean rutrum sollicitudin tincidunt. Sed ac purus eget ligula semper congue et sit amet mauris. Pellentesque accumsan porta varius.
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Written by Jonathan Shar – PDA Treasurer/NSW Director
I don’t know about you but if we are to take anything positive out of the whole COVID-19 situation, it is through adversity I feel like using platforms like Zoom, we have become a more cohesive and united community.
Whether it be our PDA Social Hours (register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvdeCvqT0iGNIHANOwSpCJDs6Yg_iN8tAo) or doing therapies using Telehealth, we should be proud of the sense of belonging and community we are creating and hope to maintain when life returns to normal (hopefully sooner than we think).
For me as someone who from time to time has struggled with social isolation and longed to be a part of a community, when I do login to a Zoom chat or YouTube live stream I feel like I’ve almost come home because being around people that understand the challenges and triumphs of disability life is healing.
I guess in saying that, my main concern is how can we maintain this into the future. Will and should technology play a bigger role in how we include and embrace people with physical disabilities?
One thing I will be pushing for is for all organisations who work in the disability space to work more collaboratively, I personally don”t care whether you’re a peak body, service provider or community group, we need to work together regardless of how or who funds us.
All that really drives us is better outcomes for the members and people we represent because without them we are nothing. Nothing about us without us may be one of the most overused quotes in the disability rights movement but during these times I feel as though it has taken on a new meaning.
In the era of #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo and the violence, abuse and neglect being uncovered by the Disability Royal Commission, one could assume the collective trauma from all three would foster divisions, however the opposite is true.
It is a shame that it took the appalling abuse and callous neglect of Ann-Marie Smith to unite our community in a call to action, the point I am trying to make is let’s channel all of this frustration into something positive, instead of stoking divisions, let’s make this an opportunity to strengthen disability rights and to politicians with a disability, we want more than talk, we want action and tangible reform that will actually be implemented.
If you feel as frustrated and passionate about this issue, use social media to start a conversation, talk to leaders of disability services and government agencies – but if you get a negative answer don’t get demoralised.
At PDA we are here for you, remember to join us for Social Hour and even become a member.
Written by Elle Steele – PDA Director (VIC)
I was a little unsure of what to write for this piece, I haven’t been working in the disability industry consistently for a long time. I’ve had the odd job and written some Disability Action Plans in my day, and of course, I have a physical disability so there’s that.
But yesterday, as I’m still grappling with the topic to write about, something really interesting happened on my personal Facebook page. For some context, I work as a business coach for mainly people identifying as women (it’s just turned out that way) in the spiritual and wellness industry. Yesterday (June 21) was a New Moon, which is the first moon of a new moon cycle and in the space that I mainly live my life in. This is when you set your intentions and goals for the month.
So, I posted this on my Facebook profile; ‘Maybe one of your new moon intentions could be to diversify your feed, the people you work with, your podcast guests, your friends’ list to include people with disabilities too?’
The post spent the day being shared and liked by various friends and people that work in my industry until about 6pm when I received this comment, “I never saw you with a disability. Never thought of you as different. You were just Elle. And Elle was you. It feels weird for you to use that word about yourself. Also, I miss working with you, however briefly it was❤️ “
Now, this is a genuine comment, this person is lovely and doesn’t see anything wrong with what has been written here and, in the past, I would have glossed over it and got on with my day. But, as I’ve grown more into myself and learnt to embrace all parts of me, I now realise how this way of looking at disability can be a problem and why we as a cohort continue in many ways to live a life of invisibility.
Is it that people think that by ignoring the disability or the thing that makes them uncomfortable that they won’t have to acknowledge it? I for one want you to see it, get to know it and research disability, because I’m not your teacher, but you can be my ally.
Our difference is what makes us unique and beautiful. It also gives us our power, teaching from a place of personal awareness and self-acceptance.
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