When Vicky Walters wants to go out for a nice meal, to get groceries or even just to look amongst retail shops, she dreads being turned away at the door because there is no disability access for her.
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“The worst is when they have a sign saying ‘access ramp inside’. Well that’s great, but how do I get inside?” she told the crowd of around 80 yesterday.
Vicky suffered a spinal injury after falling from a horse nearly five years ago.
Yesterday marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) and many came from all over to show support for the promotion about understanding of people with disability and encourage support for their dignity, rights and well-being.
“I know what it is like to have the independence ripped away from me,” Vicky continued.
“I feel independance by the simple things like getting through a doorway.”
“Thank you (she addressed the crowd crowd), thank you to everyone who makes that possible.”
Yass Valley Valmar Community Access Service hosted this year's International Day of People with Disability by putting on a farm day and inviting members of the community to come and participate in the great games and activities at Meehan Street.
From scarecrow-making to finger painting, Yass Carer Lyn Walker believes the day was a success.
“It was a great turnout and it was really good to be able to thank businesses around the Yass Valley with service awards,” she said.
The employees, families and clients of Valmar are all too familiar with the stigmatism around “disabilities” and are trying to support the whole community into becoming more inclusive.
CEO of Valmar Hugh Packard made an appearance and congratulated the township of Yass and Valmar for already creating change around the stigma of disability in the community.
“It’s like eating an elephant, if you keep chipping away at it you will eventually get there,” he said.
“Yass has gone from a low level of acceptance to being an inclusive community.”
Mayor Rowena Abbey addressed the crowd in her speech referring to the social model of disability, outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
“People with disability are not disabled by their impairment but by the barriers in the community that prevent them gaining equal access to information, services, transport, housing, education, training, employment, and social opportunities,” she said.
Cr Abbey said that over the next twelve months Yass Valley Council will begin to work with people that have disability and their parents and caregivers to identify what sort of barriers exist within Yass Valley.
“We will ask specific questions about this as part of planning that is associated with a review of our Community Strategic Plan (CSP),” she continued.
The first Community Access Award went to Jan Wilson of Yassfm.
Amanda Waters from Valmar Support Services submitted a nomination for Yassfm and the work that Yassfm and, in particular, Jan Wilson has done to promote inclusion.
The second was awarded to Helen Nesbitt on behalf of Yass Red Cross. The award is being presented to acknowledge the inclusive approach that the Yass Red Cross has undertaken to ensure that people with disability are actively and genuinely involved in voluntary work, delivering meals to older frail people in our community through the Yass Meals on Wheels organisation.
Two Private Business Access Awards went to Barney’s at Bookham, Darrel Dowling who was nominated by Lynette Baker from Yass Valley Home Living Support Service submitted a nomination for Barneys at Bookham and the work that this private business has done to ensure excellent physical access for people with disability. The second went to Robert Packwood of the Yass Soldiers Club for providing easy physical access via ramps at the front and back doors. Indeed the new front access ramps have made access very easy into the Yass Soldiers Club.
The final Access Award category is in recognition of a Public Agency that has made improvements and is presented to Janelle from Health Share. Please come forward Janelle.
Lyn Walker nominated Health Share for the work that this organisation undertakes at the Yass Hospital. Lyn’s nomination stated that Health Share provides fantastic physical access for volunteers of Valmar Support Services, Community Access Program Group when they arrive to collect meals that they deliver with support from the Red Cross Volunteers and via the Yass Meals on Wheels program.
ITALICS: More photos online.