Celebrating 25 years of the DDAText description of videoSuzanne Colbert AM, CEO of the Australian Network on Disability stands in front of an AND banner with multiple logos. She is wearing a navy blue suit and white top. She is shown from the shoulders up.

ScriptAt the Australian Network on Disability we are celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act.

The DDA enshrines in law the right for people with disability to be fully included in all aspects of our economic, social, cultural and political life.

Progress has been made in a range of areas and these are transport, premises and education – those areas where we have guidelines to support the DDA legislation. We also have developed guidelines for the World Wide Web and we have introduced the National Disability Insurance Scheme to assist people with severe disabilities to live ‘everyday lives’.

At AND we believe in the power of networks, relationships and collaboration to achieve the changes that are required.

AND’s member organisations are building their disability confidence and creating welcoming and inclusive environments for employees and customers with disability.

Organisations from the private, public, education and third sectors are coming together to share their knowledge, grow their expertise and find better ways to design and build for everyone.

I’m exceptionally proud of AND members who have designed world class approaches to including people with disability such as the

Stepping Into Internship program, the PACE mentoring program as well as the guidance on the built environment through the Design for Dignity

approach.

AND members are successfully measuring their progress through the Access and Inclusion Index.

There are two key areas that I would like to call out that are not yet on the path to success.

Employment

Over these 25 years Australia has experienced significant economic growth and almost all Australians have benefited from this – except people with disability. We have not made progress in the employment of people with disability for over 20 years.

We currently have relatively low unemployment and people with disability are an untapped source of talent.

It’s time to turn around the entrenched disadvantage that people with disability experience in getting a job. It’s time for better connections between employers who have jobs and people with disability. AND will be working on this with our members.

Procurement

We need to leverage the buying power of large organisations and reward providers of goods and services that are accessible and inclusive for people with disability. Especially Technology – Technology can enable and empower or can exclude.

When we create an accessible environment that’s enabling for employees with disability we make it easier for everyone.

At AND we believe that people with disability are social and economic contributors with skills and capabilities who are entitled to share in the wealth of our country.

I believe that the path forward for the next 25 years is to harness the voices of people with disability, employers and policy makers as collaborators to achieve change and deliver on the vision of a disability confident Australia.