Members of the Mount Alexander Shire Disability Advocacy Group were out in force in the Castlemaine CBD last Friday to celebrate the UNESCO International Day of People with Disability.
MASDAG representatives Lorraine le Plastrier and Cathy Wheel told the Express the day was an opportunity to increase public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability.
The United Nations theme this year is ‘Leadership and participation of persons with disabilities toward an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 World’.
Ms Wheel said this statement was packed with things we could all do to contribute to a quality of life we could be proud of.
“Inclusive and accessible can be as simple as removing barriers. The language we use, the assumptions we make, the way we design our built environment are all things we can use to make someone’s daily life a pleasure instead of a problem, a holiday instead of a hardship,” she said.
“Leadership and participation are the contributions and achievements of people we know and love whose lived experience points the way.
“We need to make space in our communities, our neighbourhoods, our lives for everyone, by the way we make decisions and open our hearts. That is what a sustainable world needs,” Ms Wheel said.
Ms le Plastrier was delighted to see accessibility and inclusiveness celebrated at last Thursday evening’s Mount Alexander Shire Business Awards with the inclusion of an ‘Accessibility Award’ sponsored by Community Bank Maldon & District.
“Congratulations to finalists Castlemaine Dental and to Movement Zone for taking out the honour,” she said.
Ms le Plastrier said with 30 per cent of the Mount Alexander Shire community living with disability, many of which were invisible, it was important that local businesses and community groups did all they could to include everyone in their business, activities and events.
For full coverage of the Mount Alexander Shire Business Awards see next week’s Midland Express.
