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The latest from CPActive
Strong voices for disability at the Jobs and Skills Summit
Over September 1st and 2nd, 140 representatives from business, unions, industry and government came together in Canberra for the Jobs and Skills Summit. Disability rights campaigner and proud friend of CPActive Elly Desmarchelier addressed the summit, putting businesses on notice that they need to do more to employ people with disability while holding the government to account to rebuild all systems that discriminate against PwD including in the workplace. ‘I’m not here to ask you to give people with disability a chance, I’m demanding you give people with disability a chance. “What I’m here to give you are the solutions. These are the solutions that people with disability identified at the NDIS Jobs and Skills Summit. “Number one, we want all organisations, business, government agencies whose principal function is to work with disabled people, to employ at least 15 per cent of their workforce to be disabled people. “Not only
Highlights of Youth Lab#2: Exercising your rights
Our second Youth Lab on 24th August was all about empowering ourselves and others to know what our rights are and how we can exercise them effectively. NextGen ambassador Sophie Geeves joined Teigan Butchers on the panel to speak about some of her own experiences in advocating for herself. “This is about knowing what you’re worth and don’t be afraid to fight for it, allowing yourself to think outside of the boxes that are sometimes enforced on us”, Sophie said. In breakout groups, young people were able to share their experiences and together, create their own top three tips on exercising your rights. The Exercising Your Rights at School group shared hot tips including being assertive about what you need and when you need it, and being your own voice by not allowing others to speak for you. The Employment/at Work group shared hot tips like ‘it’s not what you
An optimistic future for disability employment: young advocates facilitate the NDIS Jobs & Skills Forum
The NDIS Jobs and Skills Forum was held on Wednesday 17th August 2022. It was called by The Honourable Bill Shorten, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), and brought together people with disability, service providers, unions, peak representative bodies and more to talk about the future of disability employment, the NDIS, and the disability workforce. This article has been written by five young people from CPActive and Children and Young People With Disability Australia. When we all came together two weeks ago, a group of passionate young advocates, we had no idea what to expect from the NDIS Jobs and Skills Forum. Disability rights campaigner Elly Demarchelier flagged from the start that we were about to experience something that might be ‘messy,’ but also veryimportant work – and that’s exactly what we got at the Forum. With a surprise visit from Prime MinisterAnthony Albanese, a strong presence from
Empowering our community – CPActive meets with federal leaders at NDIS jobs summit
Representatives from Cerebral Palsy Alliance were honoured to attend the first NDIS Jobs and Skills Forum, organised by the Federal Government, in Canberra last week. NDIS participants, their families, providers, disability organisations and the wider disability sector came together to talk about employment and disability, including representatives from CPA’s advocacy community, CPActive! Two incredible young CPActive Champions, Meret Hassanen and Declan Lee, joined Minister for the NDIS Bill Shorten MP, Chair of the NDIS Joint Standing Committee, Libby Coker MP and Every Australian Counts organiser Elly Desmarchelier at the summit. Meret and Declan held critical roles in driving discussion in face-to-face breakout groups and were front and centre stage. In fact, they even met the Prime Minister at a special summit dinner on Wednesday night, discussing the current systems and advising the Government on the best ways to support people with disability into work. “Coming together with participants, providers and
Have you registered yet for Youth Lab #2?
We’re kicking off our next ‘Youth Lab’ virtual event on exercising your rights when it comes to funding, education and the workforce. Register for the event on Wednesday 24 August at 6pm Be a part of CPActive’s NextGen in paving the way towards inclusivity in these areas; as well as connect with other young people with Cerebral Palsy and similar disabilities, share your experiences, and be part of co-designing a pilot advocacy and leadership program for 2023. If you’re a young person (under 30) living with cerebral palsy or a similar disability – please fill out the registration form and we’ll be in touch with the event Zoom link.
Happy Disability Pride Month!
Written by Hannah Diviney, author, activist and client of CPA. Hannah writes a regular column for CPA exploring her journey with cerebral palsy and activism – head here to check out previous blogs and hear Hannah on Cerebral Conversations podcast. Hi friends! This month I’m using my column to celebrate. What exactly am I celebrating, I hear you ask? Well, July (most well-known for wintery Christmas celebrations, at least here in Australia) also happens to be Disability Pride Month!!! If you didn’t know that, by the way, it’s OK. I didn’t know it existed until a couple of years ago and I’ve been disabled for over two decades now. You’re not living under a rock. Disability Pride Month is barely recognised at all on the global stage, and only really exists within disabled communities that have gathered online in spaces like Twitter and Instagram. They might occasionally spill onto the streets of towns and cities,
Youth Lab #1: register now
We’re about to kick off a series of ‘Youth Lab’ virtual events where young people with cerebral palsy and similar disabilities will have the chance to co-design a set of recommendations that makes school, university, and the transition into the workforce more inclusive. At this first Youth Lab on Wednesday July 27, we’ll be asking for your help to design what an inclusive education looks like. What do we need to change in the classroom? And what about outside of class? The Youth Lab events will also be an opportunity for young people with cerebral palsy to share their experience, connect with each other, and be part of co-designing a pilot advocacy and leadership program for 2023. If you’re a young person (under 30) living with cerebral palsy or a similar disability – please fill out the registration form and we’ll be in touch with the event Zoom link.
Highlights from our Town Hall event with youth advocates
On 21st June, we held a Town Hall event with Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott and hosted by Elly Desmarchelier. Our panel of CPActivists spoke about their lived experiences of social inclusion at school, how they have had to advocate for themselves and the power of networking to get into the workforce. Watch the highlights video now: We’d love to see you at our next event. Check out our upcoming events here.
The future is yours: register now
The future of the NDIS is a hot topic, but what does this mean for young people with disability and have we heard enough of these voices throughout this Federal election campaign? So how do we turn this attention from a ‘moment’ into longer-lasting momentum for the change we need to see to create a better future for young people living with disabilities? Are you a person with a disability aged 16-24 and have ideas you want to share? Register now for CPActive’s Youth Future Forum from 7pm on Monday 9 May. The Forum is your chance to join other like-minded young people for a discussion about what the future could look like. It could be something local like making a local sporting oval more accessible. Or discuss your experience in areas like education and employment. Or the lack of media representation of young people with a physical disability. Or it
National Day of Action: 28 April
The NDIS has been a gamechanger for people with cerebral palsy, empowering our community with freedom and choice. But the NDIS is at a crossroads – help us to ensure that the NDIS isn’t forgotten about this election day. Join Cerebral Palsy Alliance for a fun, empowering day of community action on 28 April on the NSW Central Coast.You can meet your local Federal election candidates, ask them how they’ll support people with disability and their families, and help make our voices heard. You can also gather your friends and family, meet other people with lived experience of CP and enjoy a good chat over a cup of tea, and some musical entertainment, grab a lego fun pack and hear from a panel of speakers about their experiences. Event Details:DEFEND OUR NDIS: NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION COMMUNITY EVENT10.00-11.30am. Thursday 28 AprilParkview Room, Central Coast Leagues Club, GosfordFree event, RSVP here
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