Melbourne Disability Expo
- studentsfirstaustr
- Apr 13, 2022
- 2 min read
At the beginning of April I attended the Disability Expo run by the Impact Institute. There were many different organisations present, all aiming to show individuals with disabilities the opportunities available and the services that can help make their lives easier. On each day of the expo there were multiple speakers, including the ambassador Rachel Leahcar, who is a vision impaired singer and actor. She sung for the crowd and spoke about her journey and struggles in the realm of music and film, which was really inspiring and uplifting. I found the speech by Taylor Richardson particularly moving, as she spoke about how she used the NDIS to really improve her life and emphasised that asking for help doesn’t make you any less independent; everyone needs support and it’s not shameful to seek it. Taylor implored others to use this scheme in their own way, in order to achieve everything they wish and every opportunity they desire. It was a really significant talk that hopefully encouraged others to pursue NDIS services or sparked curiosity to what is available. Another performance that was incredible to see was the All Ability Dance Group. I loved that all the kids were all enjoying themselves singing, dancing and not letting anything stop them. After all, the arts belong to everyone and it was a privilege to watch them perform such heartfelt pieces.
In terms of the exhibitors, I spoke to a number of the companies present at the event and found a common resonating purpose - to maximise social interaction and participation of individuals in the disability community. This is so profoundly important as often individuals with disabilities feel isolated or excluded due to assumed inability or discrimination and so are deterred from engaging. Personally out of all the companies present, iCare Support Services really stood out to me in terms of this goal. In which, they work individually one-on-one with those with disabilities to support them as they face emotional, social and physical challenges when engaging in public and participating in different activities. They accomplish this through a partnership with each individual that builds on trust, which subsequently maximises their confidence and resilience while striving to reach their goals, since there will always be a helping hand there. Overall it was an incredible event that will be back in November, so look out for it if you missed out or are interested. I have attached a link to the Impact Institute Melbourne Disability Expo page and to the iCare website below. On the Impact Institute page you can find all the sponsors for the event and the exhibitors that were present.
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