DISABILITY AUSTRALIA Ltd.
1. WHO ARE WE?
However, after discussion with people with disabilities around Australia, out of the ashes, has risen a phoenix in the form of Disability Australia. Disability Australia is now the Australian arm of Disabled Peoples International, a world wide organization of people with disabilities, which has consultation status with the United Nations.
Disability Australia forms a united voice for all people with disabilities in Australia. Its membership is open to all people with a disability whether that disability be physical, sensory, intellectual, psychological or environmental. No other organization looks across the board at all forms of disability without putting them into boxes with diagnostic labels on them.
This is especially beneficial for those whose disability doesn't fit neatly into a diagnostic box. Those whose disability has resulted from environmental abuses often find themselves without a voice to represent their needs. Disability Australia is anxious to include this so called "new disability"with other more "Traditional disabilities". Often people look at the international access symbol and look at the wheelchair to see physical disability and especially wheelchair users as the only disability. However, this is to give a very narrow view of disability and leave many people with disabilities feeling unsure of themselves. The idea of disability=wheelchair is a narrow view which is unjust to both wheelchair users and non wheelchair users.
The management of many disability organizations is seen to be male dominated but Disability Australia's charter ensures that its management committee must have an equal representation of men and women. Its charter is both open and inclusive. It doesn't label, but rather, uses the open door policy welcoming all people with disability as full members and all those interested members of the wider community as associate members. Membership is available to both individual and groups.
Unit 4, 65 York Street, Richmond Victoria 3121, Australia, Tel: 61-3-9429 4210 Fax: 61-3-9201 9499
Last updated by frank HB on 29-01-05