July is Disability Pride Month - a time to celebrate disability identity, culture, community, leadership, achievements and rights.

To mark the month, the Office of the Commissioner for LGBTIQA+ Communities, Inclusive Rainbow Voices and the Accessible Pride Project and the Victorian Pride Centre are co-hosting a lunch-and-learn about creating more accessible LGBTIQA+ events.

The event is for:

Local council staff
LGBTIQA+ community organisations and services
Disability organisations and workers
Event organisers, venues and community leaders.

LGBTIQA+ events and spaces can be important places of affirmation, friendship, chosen family, safety and belonging. However, people with disability can still be excluded by physical, sensory, communication, cognitive, digital, financial and attitudinal barriers.

Access is not something to be added at the end of event planning. It should be built into how an event is designed, communicated, delivered and evaluated with and for people with disability. As disability support systems continue to change, organisations must not assume that an individual NDIS plan or support person will compensate for an inaccessible event. We all have a responsibility to ensure people of all abilities can connect with and feel like they belong in their communities-of-choice.

About the session
This one-hour curated panel is intended to raise awareness, share different perspectives and begin a broader conversation about accessible event practices to improve experiences of LGBTIQA+ people with disability.

Led and informed by the lived expertise of LGBTIQA+ people with disability, the panel will include people with disability, community, service and event-planning expertise.

The discussion will cover:

The different barriers people with different disability may experience at LGBTIQA+ events
Why accessibility, belonging and participation matter
The importance of involving people with disability in planning and decision-making
Practical examples and lessons from community events and accessibility initiatives
Questions organisations can ask when planning, communicating and delivering events
Areas in which organisations can and should involve LGBTIQA+ people with disability in further consultation, resources, training or organisational change.

Because accessibility needs differ between people, disabilities, communities and event settings, this session will not provide a complete accessibility curriculum or cover everything organisations need to know.

Instead, it offers a starting point for reflection, further learning and ongoing work with people with disability. There will be time for moderated questions, discussion and shared learning.

Speakers:
The panel will include:

Jess Cadwallader (she/they) CEO, Inclusive Rainbow Voices (Facilitator)
Katherine Marshall (they/she), Access & inclusion expert
Micheal Castro (he/him), Peer Worker at Rainbow Rights and Advocacy and an Intersectional Lived-Experience Expert for Accessible Pride
Matthew Parsons (they/them), Project Manager, Accessible Pride, Thorne Harbour Health
Stuart Andreson (he/him), Deaf-led Team Leader and specialist in accessible communication
Meredith Johnson (she/her), Chillout Festival, Daylesford

Date and time:
Thursday, 30 July, 12pm - 2pm
12pm-1pm: Hybrid presentation and panel, available in person and online
1pm-2pm: In-person facilitated discussion, then face-to-face networking and lunch.

Accessibility Information:
We are working to make this event accessible to people with different access requirements.

Confirmed access provisions include:
-In-person and online participation during the first hour
-step-free and wheelchair access at the Victorian Pride Centre
-Accessible and gender toilets
-Auslan interpreting, hearing loop & live captions during the presentation and panel
-A break at 1.00 pm and additional breaks when required
-Speakers stating their name before speaking
-Support people and assistance animals welcome
-A designated quiet and low sensory space in the level one reflection room

Please tell us about any access, communication, dietary or participation requirements when registering. You can also contact us at contact@pridecentre.org.au to discuss what would support your participation.
Please contact us by Monday 27 June so we have enough time to arrange the requested support.

Contact the host of From Access to Belonging: LGBTIQA+ People with Disability at Events

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