In celebration of International Day of People with Disability, Shepparton Access hosted an event filled with stories, singing and socialising on Monday, December 12.
Shepparton Access participants were delighted to entertain the crowd with a sign language performance of What a Wonderful World and a tap dance to We Will Rock You at The Woolshed at Emerald Bank.
IDPwD is an annual event held on December 3 aimed at increasing public awareness, understanding and inclusion of people with a disability.
Shepparton Access chief executive Brigid Herring-Neumann believes this year’s theme, ‘Transformative solutions for inclusive development: The role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world’, ties in to the services her organisation provides.
“Shepparton Access is a learning and lifestyle hub, with 96 participants that come in every day and learn life skills,” Ms Herring-Neumann said.
“Our focus is on our participants becoming independent and working towards a bigger goal of employment.”
Speaking at the event was I CAN Network founder and chief enabling officer Chris Varney.
He was delighted that the day was gaining more momentum and outcomes were improving for everyone with a disability or difference.
“We’ve got a lot of issues to solve — we know that there’s a 34 per cent unemployment rate in autistic Australians, we know that this is a group of people that are nine times more likely to attempt self-injury, there’s a huge number that are not gaining their Victorian Certificate of Education. There’s a lot we need to change,” Mr Varney said.
“At the same time, it’s organisations like Shepparton Access and I CAN Network, along with partnerships and community support, that are turning that around.
“We’re seeing so much positive change with the sheer number of autistic young people starting to share their stories, take off the mask and be who they are; it’s really important and exciting.”
For Shepparton Access participants, such as Ivan Etsebeth, IDPwD is about acknowledging and understanding the wide scope of people’s disabilities.
“My disability is intellectual and well hidden, whereas other people’s disability can be more visible,” he said.
“I always strive for acceptance in everything I do and try to accept people as they are, not to change them.”
Mr Etsebeth hopes the Shepparton community will continue to break down stigmas and encourage individuals to celebrate what makes people with a disability unique.
“I see an ability in these people that is just that — an ability. And this ability is going to take them so much further than someone who’s going to tell them ‘no, you can’t do this’.”
For more information about Shepparton Access, visit their website.