Author: Mel

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WWDWA Inc July Forum – Sunday 31 July

Women With Disabilities Telling Our Stories

Other people tell stories about women with disabilities. They aren’t always the stories we want other people to hear about our lives. What do you want to tell the world about yourself? How would you want to tell it?

We have funding from the Disability Services Commission to run a series of arts workshops and hold an arts show showcasing the creative talents of women with disabilities in WA.

If you are a woman with a disability come to WWDWA Inc’s July Monthly Forum and meet Arts Workshop Facilitator Jule Japhet Chiari to find out more information about WWDWA Inc’s Art Project.

Sunday 31 July
2-4 pm
Women’s Health and Family Services
227 Newcastle Street, Northbridge

RSVP for the forum by Monday 25 July to 9244 7463 or rayna@wwdwa.org.au, with any access or dietary requirements. Auslan interpreters will be provided on request.

WWDWA Inc’s Monthly Forums are for women with disabilities to meet other women with disabilities, share information and support and to find out more about services and supports that may be of use to them.

Women with physical, psychological, intellectual or sensory disabilities or chronical illnesses from all backgrounds are welcome.

You can contribute an already created piece to the project, writing, visual art, photography, film, song, dance.

Or learn new creative techniques in workshops run by Jule in,

Creative Writing
Visual Arts, Film and Multimedia
Movement and Dance
Voice (song or slam) and Drama (monologue or short play)

Contact Rayna on 9244 7463 or rayna@wwdwa.org.au to sign up to the workshops. Location and date will be confirmed with participants of each workshop.

Women With Disabilities WA Inc’s 2015 Annual General Meeting

Women With Disabilities WA Inc’s 2015 Annual General Meeting is on

Sunday, 29 November 2015 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm

At the Subiaco Arts Centre, 180 Hamersley Road, Subiaco

  • 2015 Annual General Meeting
  • Guest Speaker – Jane Akerman – Women’s Health Nurse
  • Afternoon tea

Everyone is welcome, WWDWA Inc members, friends, family, supporters of WWDWA Inc and the general public.
Auslan interpreters are available on request.
Venue is wheelchair accessible with ACROD parking and close to public transport.
Please RSVP to rayna@wwdwa.org.au or 9244 7463 by Monday 23 November.

Please note that the official part of the AGM will be voice recorded to assist with note taking.

AGM documents can be downloaded by clicking here

Media Release: Women With Disabilities WA says Let’s Keep it Real

Media Release – 3 September 2015

Women With Disabilities WA Inc (WWDWA Inc) joins with other disability advocacy organisations in WA in being deeply concerned about the article in 2 September’s edition of The West ‘WA’s own services best for disabled’.
The organisation believes that it is counter to the original principle of self management to have able-bodied professionals and politicians who don’t personally use the services under trial speaking on behalf of people with disabilities.
There is little evidence in any of the articles that promote the WA My Way scheme that the real experts were interviewed – people with disabilities who are actually using the My Way scheme.
Chair of WWDWA Inc, Ms Zeliha Iscel, said: “One of the central tenets of the disability rights movement is “nothing about us without us”. The current WA My Way and National NDIS schemes both fail to embody this principle and therefore are at risk of failing people with disabilities and our families.”
Ms Iscel stressed that the reality of the My Way and NDIS trials is a lot more complex than the current media reports and government spokespeople have made it out to be. She further emphasised, “It is far too early to be making definite statements about which trial is the best for Western Australia.”
Coordinator of WWDWA Inc, Ms Rayna Lamb, says there is a risk of people with disabilities being steamrolled into the NDIS My Way scheme because of the WA government’s insistence on WA exceptionalism, regardless of what is actually best for people with disabilities.
Women With Disabilities WA Inc strongly urges the media and government spokespeople to go directly to the people with disabilities and those who support us to get real experience and knowledge on how both trials are running so far. Ms Iscel said: “To do anything less is to treat people with disabilities as perpetual children who are not permitted a voice in our own lives. In 2015, this is unacceptable”.
WWDWA Inc is run by women with disabilities and provides systemic advocacy and peer support for women with disabilities. http://wwdwa.org.au/
Media Contact – Rayna Lamb, WWDWA Inc Coordinator, 9244 7463 or 0413 857 953

National Inquiry into Violence, abuse and neglect against people with disability in institutional and residential settings

You can find out more about the Inquiry at this link http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Community_Affairs/Violence_abuse_neglect

WWDWA Inc spoke at the inquiry here in Perth at the beginning of April. We will also be preparing a written submission. If you would like to have your experiences with violence and abuse heard, you can write your own submission and send it to the Senate. If you are unable to do this and would still like your experiences heard by the Senate, WWDWA Inc is happy to include them in our report in your own words. You don’t have to use your name and your submissions can be as short or as long as you want. Please email rayna@wwdwa.org.au or call 9244 7463. Submissions are due by the end of June, but we will be asking to have ours due by late August.

What WWDWA Inc Has Been Doing

You may notice that there were no April or May forums. The WWDWA Inc Coordinator and Management Committee have been very busy over the last few months behind the scenes – but the monthly forums are still a very important part of our work and will start again in August.

You may notice that there were no April or May forums. The WWDWA Inc Coordinator and Management Committee have been very busy over the last few months behind the scenes in working on some important administrative tasks to make the organisation run more smoothly.

We have also been busy planning for our big project, funded by the DSC, about telling the stories of our members. We will have more information about how you can be a part of this very soon.

We have also been contributing to the National Inquiry into Abuse and Neglect of People With Disabilities.

But the monthly forums are still a very important part of our work and will start again in August.

WWDWA Inc Receives Community Inclusion and Participation Grant

WWDWA Inc is delighted to report that we were successful in receiving a grant through the Disability Services Commission’s Community Inclusion and Participation Grants Program. Women with Disabilities Making our Lives Count: Past, Present and Future, Subiaco, $35,770: Women with disability will tell their stories through a range of art forms, including writing, spoken word, pictures, visual arts and multimedia resources, with an art show held to share the stories with the community. Part of the grant will be used to make our resources and information more accessible via Easy English to women with intellectual disabilities and women with disabilities who have English as a second language.

We are very excited about these projects. Watch this space for more information!

A number of other excellent projects were funded, please click the link for more information.

http://www.disability.wa.gov.au/about-us1/about-us/count-me-in/community-inclusion-and-participation-grants/

Women With Disabilities WA Inc Joins Other Community Organisations In A Call to Remove Exhibitions that Stigmatise People with Mental Health Issues

Media Release

25 September 2014

Women With Disabilities WA Inc Joins Other Community Organisations In A Call to Remove Exhibitions that Stigmatise People with Mental Health Issues

Women With Disabilities WA Inc is deeply concerned that the Royal Agricultural Show has two Family and Kid’s Show Attractions that stigmatise people with mental health issues.
“Bethlem” and “Asylum 3D Spinning Horror” both take stereotypes of people with mental health issues as an object of fear and entertainment.
It is estimated that up to 50% of Australians will experience mental health issues at some point in their life time. Stigma is a major problem to people seeking help and experiencing recovery.
According to leading suicide prevention organisation Lifeline, suicide remains the leading cause of death for Australians aged between 15 and 44. People who are struggling with suicidal feelings are often afraid of seeking help for fear of mistreatment by mental health professionals and institutions.
The exhibitions make light of the dark history of institutional abuse of people with mental health issues and other disabilities. Bethlem actors in the exhibit stereotype consumers as dangerous, unpredictable, physically different from others, while the exhibition encourages consumers to be viewed as a tourist attraction and as an object of fun for the general public.
The Royal Show is Perth’s largest community event and with an estimated 400,000 people children and families viewing these exhibitions will significant undermine stigma reduction efforts in our community.
WWDWA Inc urgently calls on the Royal Agricultural Show and sponsors to:
Immediately close the sideshow exhibitions, and to
Issue an apology to the public for hosting attractions that misrepresent people with mental health issues as an object of fear, humour and entertainment

For more information and media enquiries please contact WWDWA Inc Coordinator Rayna Lamb on 9244 7463 or email rayna@wwdwa.org.au

Female Taxi Drivers In Perth

Women and people with disabilities are often hesitant to take taxis due to the fear of inappropriate behaviour or sexual assault from male taxi drivers.

There are two female taxi drivers here in Perth, both currently working for Swan Taxis.
Zoe – 0433 489 811 – South of the river
Noeline – 0401 950 884 – North of the river

They both drive Maxi Taxis and do wheelchair work, group bookings and and airport bookings. If they are unable to take your job themselves they can recommend other taxi drivers that are trustworthy.

Bella – 0412 474 940 – Black & White Maxi Taxi – mornings

WWDWA Inc Winter Break

WWDWA Inc will be on its winter break until the end of July.
The dates booked for all of the forums for the second half of 2014:

31st August, 28th September, 26th October and 30th November in the Undercroft, at the Subiaco Arts Centre. All of the forums will be from 2-4 pm.

More information about the forums will be in our newsletters and on the website and FB page closer to the dates.

Stay warm and see you all in August!

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