The Aboriginal Disability Network NSW has launched a video exploring what it is like to be an Aboriginal person living with a disability. Living My Way aims to enhance understanding and create an awareness of disability within Aboriginal communities.
This new documentary gives an insight into Aboriginal people living with disability, showing that, with the right support, anything is possible.
Filmed in several regions across New South Wales, Living My Way is a collation of personal stories and experiences of day-to day life of those living with a disability, and those who care for them. The video provides viewers with a number of honest, open and inspiring stories that may help challenge people’s perception of ability and disability.
Some key messages are offered by the participants of this short documentary, with a particular focus on the importance of community ties, social connection and workplace inclusion. The participants offer us a snapshot of how family, carer and community supports all matter in providing educational, occupational, personal and social opportunities for those living with a disability.
This is a video about everyday people facing everyday challenges with hope and enthusiasm. It provides insight into how members of the community can assist in creating a more inclusive and understanding community.
The executive officer at Aboriginal Disability Network NSW, Damian Griffis, has been working in the disability sector for over 20 years.
In the last few months, Damian travelled to the United Nations in Geneva to meet with the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disability. This marks the first time Australia’s human rights records in the area of disability has been reviewed under the convention on the rights of persons with disability – an important landmark for the disability sector in Australia.
Damian is also the executive officer of the First Peoples Disability Network (FPDN), Australia’s first national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability.
The FPDN has developed a ten-point plan for the implementation of the NDIS amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disabilities. It has been developed to help ensure the National Disability Insurance Scheme is community-driven, so that when the NDIS is rolled out Aboriginal people are not left behind.
You can view this video online and access more information on the FPDN ten-point plan on the First People’s Disability Network webpage.
