Leading from lived experience: what this year's theme for International Day of People with Disability means to us

For the past 5 years, we’ve had the privilege to work with many leaders in the disability community who bring expertise and lived experience to support the work we facilitate.

That’s why this year’s theme for International Day of People with Disability is especially important to us. It’s another opportunity to amplify and celebrate leadership of people with disability and how supporting and encouraging more leadership roles creates change for the present and future.

From engaging on immediate and urgent reforms, to strategies that create a more inclusive future for all, the involvement of leaders, speakers and facilitators with disability is central to all of our work in the disability sector. Why?  

• Our engagement is better when it’s led by people who have the expertise in the issues we are talking about and can draw on their lived experience to help people understand context and examples for the ideas being presented.
• There is an extensive skilled community of facilitators and researchers with disability. Often they are under-utilised in the freelance or consultant market.
• It brings a diversity of ideas and experience to our policy and strategy work.

The theme for 2024, Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future, should highlight in the community, media, government and business why leadership from people with disabilities needs to be supported, amplified and valued.

Part of this value is acknowledging the leadership that already exists—such as people with disability who are helping to ensure the voices of all people with disability are heard. As we begin to wrap up another national program of engagement on future disability policy and reforms, we thank those partners, including Disability Representative Organisations and individuals who have contributed and acknowledge the vital role leaders play in advocating for and shaping a more inclusive and sustainable future.  

Of course, having leadership embedded in Australia’s social and public policy engagement and in informing decisions shouldn’t be limited to disability policy. The United Nations ‘wants leaders with disability to think about world issues’.

We encourage all agencies to consider more about how you can engage and support disability leaders to play a lead in your engagement, communication, evaluation and research.