The NT Inclusion Festival 2018 is coming up fast! It occurs on Saturday, 13 October 2018 at the Darwin Convention Centre in Darwin, NT. The three key events are:
The NDS NT Big Thinking on Inclusion Conference,
The Showcase of Quality, Innovation and Talent, and
The Northern Territory Disability Services & Inclusion Awards.
There is free public entry to the The Showcase of Quality, Innovation and Talent event. Please go to the Events page on the NDS website for more information – the link to this page is below.
The Alice Springs NDIS Provider Expo is taking place on Friday, 10th August 2018. It’s open to the public and is a great opportunity to explore the NDIS provider options available in the Alice Springs region! You can speak directly with representatives from disability support services, therapy services, coordination of supports, home modification/assistive technology, and many other services. Disability Advocacy Service will have a stall at the expo, and we look forward to seeing you there!
Alice Springs NDIS Provider Expo – Flyer Location: Grand Ballroom, Double Tree by Hilton, 82 Barrett Drive, Alice Springs Date: Friday, 10 August 2018 Time: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm For more information, contact: Annette Hiscox – 0436 662 070
Disability Advocacy Service Inc. has recently experienced some change! DAS Manager Noeline Laurie retired at the end of June 2018. The ‘Manager’ position title has changed, and is now ‘CEO’. The new CEO is Valerie Dearman.
Please note, due to the change in position title, the DAS email address has changed as well. The email was previously manager@das.org.au, which is now inactive.
International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) and the 2017 Mayoral Awards took place on Monday, 4 December 2017 at the Andy McNeill Room in the Alice Springs Town Council. Over 100 people were in attendance and The Mayor of Alice Springs Mr Damien Ryan was the MC of the celebrations.
The Guest Speakers, Cucu Saidah and Faisal Rusdi, are a married couple from Indonesia who currently reside in Adelaide, SA. They travelled to Alice Springs from Adelaide for the IDPwD and Mayoral Awards celebrations. Cucu Saidah is a well-known disability rights activist in Indonesia with over 15 years’ experience. Faisal Rusdi is a well-known member of the international organisation, Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA).
Cucu captured the audience with an empowering key note, sharing that Indonesia has very limited opportunity for people with a disability to live an inclusive, equal and accessible life. She shared her story of living with disability, the challenges she has had through her life journey and achievements.
Faisal Rusdi commenced working on a blank canvas at the start of the event, using his mouth to paint. Just one and a half hours into the celebrations, Faisal had produced an incredible painting of Uluru. The audience and the Mayor expressed enormous excitement as he finished his art piece whilst people lined up to speak to Faisal.
King Marong, a Gambian Master Percussionist, Singer, Composer, Teacher and Cultural Ambassador, gave a fantastic drumming performance, alongside the Life without Barriers Day Program participants putting on a dance off show for the crowd! King Marong’s website is http://www.kingmarong.com/ .
Annette Hiscox, who is from the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), gave a brief information session about the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
All were highly received by the Alice Springs community.
The Mayoral Awards acknowledge the contributions made by individuals with disability and by individuals for disability communities. The Noteworthy Award celebrates a person with disability who has made a noteworthy contribution to the community; The Champion Award celebrates a person with or without disability who has been an advocate for the rights and well-being of people with disability; and The Michele Castagna Medal is awarded to an individual that displays tenacity.
The event finished with delicious catering, which was organised by Life Without Barriers. The Alice Springs Town Council and Public Library, Life Without Barriers, Disability Advocacy Service Inc. and countless others came together to make this event a spectacular time for all.
More information is available from the Alice Springs Town Council website; links listed below.
If you’ve got some concerns about what’s written in your NDIS Plan, contact Disability Advocacy Service (DAS) and discuss. Disability Advocacy Service has been identified as an organisation that can support people with disabilities to better understand the NDIS Appeals review process. For further information, see our brochures below.
The Department of Social Services (DSS) provides information about NDIS Appeals on their website. The link listed directly below will take you to NDIS Appeals information on the DSS website.
The Department of Social Services website also has brochures with NDIS Appeals information that you can view, save or print. The link below will take you to the DSS website page to access these brochures. When you click on the link below, it will open the DSS website page where you can open these brochures. There are three versions of the brochure – the first two are titled ‘External Merits Review Information Brochure’ and the third one is titled ‘External Merits Review Information Brochure – Easy read version’.
