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The latest from CPActive
Employment project: callout for consultations
The employment rates for people with disability are unacceptably low in Australia. Less than 50% of people aged 15-64 years with disability are employed, compared to 80% of their peers without disability. This gap has not changed for decades. Various projects, strategies and schemes have been implemented by federal and state governments. But despite this, Australia’s participation rate for people living with disability is on par with developing countries – and it needs to change. Any strategy for inclusive employment needs to be based on the lived experiences of people with disability. That’s why Cerebral Palsy Alliance is conducting consultations with people living with CP and similar conditions to understand your employment journey. Would you like to have your say? Email project officer Dula Hettiarachchi at dula.hettiarachchi@cerebralpalsy.org.au to express your interest! The consultation will include questions about: What employment means to you Your positive and negative experiences with finding a career
Reflections from the 2021 celebration event
On 30 November CPActive hosted our final event of 2021. After a very strange year, it was fitting to look back on everything we’d achieved together. To relive some of our best moments and biggest achievements, check out the highlight video below! We also took a look forward to all the exciting opportunities for change in 2022! If you couldn’t make it, here’s a wrap on a few things we discussed. Teamwork Works: the new campaign from the disability sector Teamwork Works is a new national campaign from National Disability Services, uniting people living with disability with service providers to oppose funding cuts to the NDIS. Emma Dawson, Director of think tank Per Capita, joined the CPActive event to present their new report for the campaign False Economy: The economic benefits of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and the consequences of government cost-cutting. “It’s fundamentally about shifting our understanding of
Podcast: ‘Changing Brains and Minds’ with Dr Iona Novak
Neuroplasticity is the secret ingredient for better brain power – and better outcomes for children with disability.
In this episode Professor Iona Novak, CPA’s Chair of Allied Health, co-founder of the CPA Research Institute and renowned journalist, author and broadcaster Tracey Spicer go deep into our grey (and white) matter to explore the brain’s ability to create new neural pathways and what that means for a child’s critical early years of neurological development. How can we rewire our brains by learning new skills? Why are some pathways a bit overgrown and others rather well-trodden? Can teenagers and adults harness neuroplasticity, and how is it relevant for people without disability?
Podcast: ‘Speaking Up’ with Bronya Metherall and Tara Moss
Cerebral Conversations is a podcast series by Cerebral Palsy Alliance. Each episode features an inspiring discussion with changemakers living with cerebral palsy and similar disabilities. We can all be agents for change, but we need to find our voices first and the courage to speak up. In this episode, Bronya and Tara speak up about creating communities that empower those living with disability. How can we challenge governments to enact change that creates truly inclusive societies? What does advocacy really mean, and when does it really work? How can we help people find their voice and see the power in their personal storytelling? And how on earth can we get people to care about a cause that doesn’t personally affect them? Bronya Metherall is General Manager of Global Influence & Social Impact at Cerebral Palsy Alliance. She leads CPA’s global advocacy campaigns, including World CP Day and Window of Opportunity,
Podcast: ‘Early Diagnosis and Meeting Eve’ with Nadia Badawi
One in 10 babies born in Australia end up in a NIC unit in our hospitals. In Australia we can do ethical, safe as can be, best research on stem cells and other therapies that parents are crying out for.
Join this cerebral (palsy) conversation with internationally renowned neonatologist, Professor Nadia Badawi. Early in her career, Nadia realised that working with newborns was an opportunity to change the entire course of a person’s life, not to mention having a huge impact for their family and the wider community. That realisation has taken her on an incredible path, becoming a leading voice in neonatal intensive care.
Podcast: ‘Let’s Get Visible!’ with Hannah Diviney and Tara Moss
Australia is recognised as one of the most inclusive nations in the world, but really, is it?
In this podcast, disability advocate and CPActive Champion Hannah Diviney joins Tara Moss to dig into the details of what it’s like to live with a disability and tackle stereotypes, mental health issues, and barriers to work and education. How do Hannah and Tara overcome the stigmas around disability and women? What does living with a disability mean for our sense of identity? And really, why isn’t there a disabled Disney princess? (Hannah’s working on that.)
Cerebral Conversations podcast: Ahead of the (Learning) Curve with CPActive Champion Lia Sintras
CPActive Champion and Kosciuszko conqueror Lia Sintras has lived with cerebral palsy since she was just a year old, which hasn’t stopped her for a moment. From climbing Mount Kosciuszko to walking into her end of school formal (after over 500 hours of training no less), Lia knows better than most that – as she puts it – “Nothing is impossible. You just need to find people that make it possible.”
In the episode ‘Ahead of the (Learning) Curve, Lia takes us through the challenges and highlights of her school years, the importance of finding champions to back you, and what she’s working on to advocate inclusion for everybody who lives with a disability.
CPActive Champion Hannah Diviney appears on The Project and named Women’s Weekly Awards finalist
CPActive Champion Hannah Diviney is on a mission to change things for women living with a disability. Now a Women’s Weekly Awards finalist with national television appearance under her belt, she’s not slowing down. Hannah made her mark as an activist last year when she petitioned Disney to create a princess with a disability and give representation to millions of girls around the world. Her Change.org petition went viral with over 50,000 signatures so far, and cemented Hannah’s place as a voice for change. She appeared on The Project TV to explain how important representation is for young children finding their sense of identity and self worth. “Growing up in Australia with cerebral palsy is a bit tricky I guess, because disability isn’t really something that people have accepted totally yet,” Hannah said on The Project. “Disney is a massive part of my life… I saw these strong, capable young
Paralympics: Highlights from the Virtual Ticker Tape Parade
Australia’s Paralympic team put in an inspirational performance at the Tokyo 2021 Paralympics. They lifted the hearts of millions of Australians watching at home, struggling through a new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the CPActive Virtual Ticker Tape Parade, we asked young aspiring athletes with cerebral palsy to interview some of their Paralympic heroes returning from the Games: sprinter Evan O’Hanlon, swimmers Matt Levy and Lakeisha Patterson, retired Paralympic champion Katrina Webb-Denis, and two members of our Pararoo football team, Christopher Pyne and Ben Atkins. These Paralympians shared their wisdom on training, resilience, representation and inclusion for people living with disability, the importance of activism, and how to set and smash your goals. You can read a few of their key lessons here. For those who missed out, we’ve put together a video with some of the highlights from the event! Check it out below.
Millions of Reasons: the best of World CP Day
October 6 marked World CP Day, and people around the world took to social media to share Millions of Reasons to celebrate. So many amazing stories and photos were shared from every corner of the world – both by people living with cerebral palsy, and from their nearest and dearest who seized the day to celebrate their loved ones. There are too many to list, so here are just a few of our favourite moments from the day: 1. World CP Day’s incredible compilation of people sharing their reasons to celebrate (guest starring our own CPActive Champion Hannah Diviney!) 2. Samantha Louise’s heart warming story about her daughter Ava and her twin sister “I want to celebrate CP day by showing my twin girls play together, interacting with each other as individuals, they aren’t restricted by their differences when they are having a giggle. “Their physical differences are significant, Avas
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