The International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) took place on 3 December. To recognise this important day, the City of Subiaco hosted and supported a number of events that promoted awareness, inclusion and celebration of those living with a disability within our community.
On Friday 2 December, City staff and members of the community were invited to Lords Recreation Centre to participate in the Wheel Life program by Rebound WA. During the session, participants learnt about life with a physical disability through open conversation and a round of wheelchair basketball.
Also on Friday, the City supported ‘Mark’s Mission Impossible’, in which Mark Elsing, a stroke survivor and member of the Lords gym, ‘travelled’ 65 kilometres using an upper body ergometer – the equivalent of driving from Perth to Mandurah.
The City also supported an art exhibition titled ‘Nothing About Us, Without Us’. Delivered in partnership with Mission Australia at Subiaco Arts Centre, the exhibition showcases work from local artists living with disability, in efforts to celebrate their stories and raise community awareness of the barriers of access and inclusion in society.
The art exhibition is open until Saturday 10 December, and all are invited to attend its closing event on this day, from 2pm to 5pm, which will feature live music in Subiaco Theatre Gardens.
There are also a few events at Subiaco Library still to come, including an Inclusive Storytime on Tuesday 6 December, which will include a story about somebody living with a disability, and an Auslan Storytime on Wednesday 7 December, presented by Access Plus WA.
The City’s Disability Access & Inclusion Plan (DAIP) works to improve the inclusiveness and accessibility of every service the City of Subiaco provides for the community, and the City’s recently formed Disability Access & Inclusion Committee (DAIC) is responsible for advising Council on issues related to access and inclusion in the community.
The DAIC is comprised of Elected Members, people living with disability (including the aforementioned Mark Elsing), community members with an interest and/or expertise in disability, and service providers.
Of the IDPwD events and initiatives, Mayor David McMullen said, “The City is committed to making its services, facilities, and events accessible and inclusive for everybody within the community.
“Through events like these, we are proud to promote understanding, acceptance and celebration of those living with disability in our community, and I look forward to seeing the fantastic work that our DAIC will accomplish in the coming years.”
To read more about the City’s commitment to access and inclusion,
visit this link.