Finalists Announced for Disability Awards
30 July 2013 at 11:35 am
A fully accessible theatre performance for deaf, blind, sighted and hearing audiences, an apprenticeship employment program for people with disability and an iPad and iPhone application that personalises care needs for use by people with disability are among the finalists in this year’s National Disability Awards.
Twenty seven finalists were announced, chosen from almost 200 nominations from nine award categories which align with the National Disability Strategy’s key action areas for improvement.
The National Disability Awards, now in its seventh year, celebrate the valuable contribution that individuals and organisations have made in improving the lives of people with disability in Australia, and building awareness of disability issues.
Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers Amanda Rishworth congratulated the finalists on achieving creative solutions to improve inclusion of people with disability.
“One of the remarkable achievements of the finalists is the development of the first official wheelchair basketball program in the Solomon Islands by an inspiring young person with disability who is passionate about improving the lives of people with disability all around the world,” she said.
“Another is an exciting project that demonstrates the benefits of participation in art for people with disability, the capacity of technology to provide new opportunities for participation and the influence their creative contributions can have on social inclusion.
“The finalists are made up of individuals who are passionate advocates for people with disability, small organisations right through to big businesses which have changed their work practices to be more inclusive.”
The National Disability Awards will be held on November 26 as a special celebration leading up to International Day of People with Disability on December 3.
Registrations are open for events to be held around the country on December 3 to celebrate the 21st anniversary of International Day of People with Disability.