About
People with Disabilities ACT Inc (PWDACT), established in 1982, is the peak advocacy organisation in the ACT for people with disabilities. Our Patron is the Governor General of Australia, His Excellency General the Honourable David John Hurley AC DSC (Retd). We are a not for profit collective voice, run by people with disabilities.
Our Vision:
Our vision is for all people with disabilities in Canberra to be empowered to reach their full potential as respected, valued members of society
Our functions:
We consult, identify issues, provide policy advice and submissions, and strengthen capacity of people with disabilities.
Our principles:
Run by people with disabilities for people with disabilities, we are proactive, passionate, positive, trusted, practical, and professional.
Our guiding frameworks are:
- The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2007)
- The ACT Discrimination Act 1991
- The Disability Discrimination Act 1992
Our Work
Our advocacy work includes:
- Regular consultation with our members to identify current issues and priorities;
- Policy submissions;
- Representation and lobbying to all levels of government;
- Participation in forums and events;
- Public speaking on disability issues; and
- Media releases and publications.
Our work with other ACT disability advocacy organisations includes:
- Regular collaboration to share information, discuss common issues, and promote collaborative action on key issues facing people with disabilities;
- Responding to draft government policies and papers in collaboration with them;
- Contributing to boards and committees; and
- Providing feedback, practical suggestions and input on request to other organisations
Strategic Directions
1. We improve opportunities for people with disabilities to contribute to policy development, planning, and evaluation.
We do this by:
- Sharing opportunities stakeholder to contribute to policy development and systemic change with members and other stakeholders
- Supporting and creating forums for members and other stakeholders to come together to share their experiences, and identify current and emerging barriers to access
2. We work with stakeholders to improve outcomes for people with disabilities.
We do this by:
- Identifying and working to remove attitudinal, physical and social barriers which prevent people with disabilities from participating fully in economic and community life
- Engaging with the business sector and other community organisations to respond to issues and concerns from people with disability
- Working closely with individual and human rights advocacy organisations, to make referrals for individual advocacy support
3. We identify issues, consult with members and stakeholders, provide policy advice and submissions
We do this by:
- Collecting information from members and adding to other evidence to develop high quality submissions to governments and other decision makers to ensure that the voices of people with disabilities
- Working with members to improve engagement and connection with the organisation
- Creating opportunities for regular engagement with key stakeholders and partners to work on issues of joint interest and concern