Putting disability at the centre of philanthropy’s inclusion conversation

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased social disadvantage and sharpened the need to ensure diversity, equity and inclusion are priorities for everyone. But all too often, people living with disability are not part of this conversation. Stanford Social Innovation Review’s recent paper, ‘Centering Disability’ states:

“If the philanthropic sector is to advance social justice, diversity, equity and inclusion, then we must recognise disability as central to our work.”

1 in 6 Australians live with disability. In 2020 The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare published a report on People with disability in Australia. Whilst acknowledging that there are still gaps in the data, the report outlines the stark differences experienced by people with disabilities across most aspects of life:

People with disability find it about twice as hard to get a job as other Australians and more difficult to keep it. Only 48% of working age Australians with disability are employed, compared to 80% of people without disability.
People with disability have lower levels of access to preventative healthcare. 24% of people with disability experience health that is very good or excellent, compared with 65% of Australians without disability.
People with disability experience high/very high psychological distress. 32% compared with 8% of people without disability.
People with disability have experienced violence. 47% of people with disability over 15 compared with 36% of people without disability.

As we emerge from the pandemic and begin to rebuild the economy, our recovery plans must include the means of enabling people with disabilities to live the lives they choose. Philanthropy has the opportunity to help remove existing barriers and to innovate with people with disability to ensure that Australia becomes more equitable and inclusive.

But there are pockets of philanthropy that are already working to improve outcomes for people living with disabilities. In this webinar we will examine the data to understand what can be done and hear about some of the programs that are already underway.

Philanthropy Australia Lead

Adam Ognall, Executive Director – Engagement, Philanthropy Australia
Adam brings to Philanthropy Australia two decades of leadership experience in philanthropy and social change.

Most recently, he was Chief Executive of New Israel Fund UK a charity that promotes democracy and equality in Israel and Palestine through making grants and providing capacity-building services to civil society groups. Prior to this he was Deputy CEO of UK Sustainable Investment and Finance (UKSIF), the mission-driven peak body committed to growing responsible and sustainable finance, leading their member services and developing their impact investment workstream.

Until moving to Melbourne in 2021, Adam was also the Board Chair of the award-winning The Bike Project, a charity that supports refugees.

Outside of work, Adam is an avid cyclist enjoying exploring the trails and paths of Melbourne with his young family.

Moderator

Dr Kirsty Nowlan - Executive Director of The Achieve Foundation

Kirsty Nowlan of The Achieve Foundation is a new organisation dedicated to increasing philanthropic and social investment in disability to build a more inclusive Australia. Kirsty has a background in leading large systems change initiatives across both international development and in Australia across diverse fields including disability, peacebuilding, child mortality and ageism.

Prior to joining Achieve, Kirsty was an executive at The Benevolent Society. In that capacity she chaired two national initiatives – Every Child – which aims to ensure equitable child development by ensuring families got the support they needed; and EveryAGE Counts, Australia’s national campaign on Ageism.

Kirsty on the boards of The Centre for Social Purpose – a membership organisation for For Purpose organisations – and Peacifica, a Pacific focussed peacebuilding organisation. She holds a PhD in international law and politics.

Presenters

Graeme Innes AM Lawyer, Author, Company Director and Former Australian Disability Discrimination Commissioner
Graeme Innes AM is a lawyer, author, and company director. His autobiography Finding A Way achieved popular acclaim in 2016.

He has been a human rights practitioner for more than 30 years and is a conference presenter and facilitator.

Graeme was a Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission for nine years, responsible for issues relating to disability, race and human rights. In this role, he led work on:

The ratification by Australia of a UN Convention on the rights of people with disabilities;
The Same Sex Same Entitlements inquiry;
Regulations in the areas of accessible buildings and transport;
Work with industry on TV and movie captions and accessible banking standards; and
Three inspections of Australia's immigration detention centres.

Graeme led the merger of four blindness agencies to form Vision Australia, and chaired the board of that agency. He is currently the chair of the Attitude Foundation, a start-up aimed at using media to change attitudes towards Australians with disabilities.

He is also a director of:

Life Without Barriers, a $700 million turnover NFP providing support to people with disabilities, Aboriginal people, asylum seekers and children in out-of-home care;
The State Insurance Regulatory Authority, regulating workers’ compensation and motor vehicle accident insurance in NSW.

Graeme was awarded an AM for his work on the development of the Disability Discrimination Act, was a finalist for Australian of the Year, and, on the international stage, he was a member of the Australian delegation that participated in negotiating the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. He was awarded Honorary Doctorates by the University of Canberra in 2014, RMIT University in 2016, UNSW in 2017 and Edith Cowan University in 2018, in recognition of his work as a human rights activist.

Graeme is married with two adult children, loves cricket as a spectator and sailing as a participant, and relaxes by enjoying fine Australian white wine.

Corene Strauss, CEO of Australian Network on Disability (AND)

An experienced NFP CEO, Corene is passionate about improving the lives of others and building communities for good.

Corene joined the Australian Network on Disability (AND) as the Chief Executive Officer in July 2021 and was previously Chief Executive Officer of Special Olympics Australia, part of the world’s largest disability sports organisation.

Prior to that she was also in the sports sector and uniquely the first female Chief Executive Officer for the National Rugby League’s Men of League Foundation responsible for the welfare of the rugby league community

Corene has had senior leadership roles at Legacy, University of New South Wales and the Australian Graduate School of Management.

Kathryn Marshall, Head of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships, Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD)

Kathryn Marshall has been with the Australian Institute of Company Directors for 8 years working with the Education department, Events, Innovation and Scholarships and has recently taken on the role of Acting General Manager, Members and Clients.

Kathryn has over twenty years’ experience as a senior executive and national manager within the education, retail, and wholesale sectors.

Industry experience covering education, pharmaceutical, fashion and cosmetics, in retail or wholesale capacities with a focus on generating results through leadership, transformational change management and process improvement.

Julia Limb, Chair of the Limb Family Foundation, and Director of the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network (AEGN)
Julia Limb is the chair of the Limb Family Foundation, a family-run PAF, established by her parents George and Janet Limb. Prior to her role with the foundation, Julia worked as a journalist in Australia and overseas. She has a Masters in Sociology and is currently completing a PhD in media and communications.

The Limb Family Foundation provides philanthropic support in multiple sectors seeking to create opportunities for individuals and communities to achieve happiness and fulfilment in their lives. Recent work has included commissioning of the report “Reaching Potential: Experiences of young people with significant intellectual disability.” The report was released late last year, and the foundation has since hosted a roundtable discussion with stakeholders to discuss the key themes and next steps. We are currently undertaking a funding round to provide further support to organisations that are developing employment programs for young people who live with disabilities.

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