I know it seems obvious, but there are more ways of communicating who you are and what you stand for than what you write or what you say.
I was dismayed to read an article recently that demonstrated a lack of foresight (at the very least) when an organisation calling itself Australia’s leading conference, exhibition & training organiser decided to hold the 2015 National Disability Summit at a well known international hotel (who says of its meeting and events area – …Our friendly and efficient catering team members and audio-visual technicians are at your disposal to host a memorable meeting, training session, or social function. Some things can be memorable for all the wrong reasons)
Two things that we know of went very wrong.
A speaker has to be carried onto the stage because it was not wheelchair accessible.
Social media showed the conference’s accessible toilets were being used for the storage of chairs.
I cannot believe that this can happen in 2015. And it must certainly have had a major reputational impact on people with a disability and those who believe in equality, in human rights, in common sense and in doing the very best for your clients possible. Because surely the clients of the 2015 National Disability Summit are people with a disability, even if it was aimed more at service providers. Without those clients, the service providers would not need a conference.
In response, or at least soon after the furore resulting from this debacle, Assistant Minister for Social Services, Senator Mitch Fifield announced that the Federal government will provide new funding to increase participation at disability conferences to support conference organisers to increase participation of people with disability at disability-related conferences.
I hope that is not the only response since the Federal Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission legislated against disability discrimination in 1992 to enable people with a disability access to public events!
Wheelchair at base of stairs
