Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australian disability activist and comedian, Stella Young, who tragically died too soon, said:

I want to live in a world where we don't have such low expectations of disabled people that we are congratulated for getting out of bed and remembering our own names in the morning. I want to live in a world where we value genuine achievement for disabled people,

The electorate of Blair features a wide variety of incredible organisations, community groups and individuals dedicated to providing opportunity, services and support for seniors, those living with disability, and carers, and who are preparing for the NDIS, which will be in Ipswich in mid-2017.

Since 2010 I have held Blair Disability Links, an expo featuring disability service and support groups in Ipswich. It is where I have launched the annual Disability Links directory, featuring a comprehensive list of services, activities, products and support for those living with disability and their carers in the electorate of Blair. The event and directory are in their sixth year. In that time I have given away about 45,000 copies of the directory. Last year it was over 70 pages in length; this year it will be even bigger. The expo will be held this year on Friday, 2 December between 10 am and 2 pm at the Brassall Shopping Centre in Ipswich. I will be bringing together a host of these organisations. It is an opportunity for those with disability and their loved ones and carers to gather a lot of information and to chat with a variety of people in one place.

Over the past six years I have discovered that one of the most valuable things is bringing those services and support providers together in one place. They swap ideas, information and contact details, and learn what is on offer in their communities and organisations. It is a chance for those with disability to showcase their talents and achievements, as well as the services they provide. One such organisation is ArtISability, under the leadership of Debbie Chilton. As an artist living with a disability Debbie knows how hard it is extend professional skills when the places of study require travel to Brisbane. Driven by her artistic passion and desire to assist those with disabilities and mental illnesses to participate in community life and to encourage them into leadership positions, she runs workshops that provide education and training in Ipswich. Through ArtISability she has encouraged and supported local artists to further their skills, artists who live in the city of Ipswich and its surrounds who may have no access or limited access to the heritage buildings in Ipswich. As she says, you don't need legs to create beautiful art. I look forward to having Debbie at this year's event and seeing some of the work she and her students have created. I should note that this year is the first year the Ipswich Stroke Support Group will not have the smiling face of Peggy Frankish at the helm. Sadly, Peggy passed away recently, and I know this group is feeling her loss most keenly.

Blair Disability Links has been so successful I have created the Blair Seniors Links directory. As with disability services, we found that Blair boasts a wide range of services and programs for older people, but many residents were unaware of them and had no idea how to find them or where to ask for help. The Blair Seniors Links directory brings those together in a convenient format for older Australians and their families and carers. Blair Seniors Links happened because Ipswich City Council asked me to provide it. Already I have given away over 5,000 copies in the last 12 months.

I will be launching the two 2017 directories at Blair Disability Links, to be held in conjunction with the International Day of People with Disability. The event is held outside my office, at the Brassall Shopping Centre, and I expect a large crowd. Service organisations which will be there include ALARA, Focal and Carers Queensland.

As Stella Young said, we should aim for a world where genuine achievement of people with disability is celebrated. It is my aim to provide an opportunity to showcase some of our local achievers. The event will afford people the chance to see what services are on offer and the opportunity for people to connect with one another, to provide information that demonstrates how much our region truly values and supports people with disability, to lead by example in acknowledging the achievement of older people who have made our region what it is today. Margaret Meade, the iconic cultural anthropologist, once said:

If we are to achieve a richer culture … we must weave one in which each diverse human gift will find a fitting place.

It is my hope that the Blair disability and seniors links directories contribute to achieving a richer culture in Ipswich and the Somerset Regions.