2014 ACT Chief Minister’s Inclusion Awards
Winners and judge’s comments
ACT Chief Minister’s Award for Excellence
Winner: Craig Wallace
Recognising people with disability who are leaders in inclusion
- Emerging Young Leader
Winner: Claire Falls
Claire is a 12 year old football player who has actively advocated for inclusion of young people with disability in sport. She is the creator and founder of "FEVER - Football for Everyone" a Not for Profit organisation promoting social inclusion in football. In her fourth season, Claire plays for Tuggeranong United Football Club in the Men’s National Premier League. She has successfully raised funds for inclusive sport and delivered presentations to mainstream national and international sporting groups on inclusion. She has just been asked to be the 2015 ambassador for the Australian Football Coalition.
Commendation: Gayana Wijewickrema
Gayana has established a small business selling flowers, with the help of her family. As a 15 year old, she actively interacts with her clients. She is a role model to other young people with disability in having goals and creating her own opportunities.
- Life Time Achievement Award
Winner: Craig Wallace
Craig has significantly raised the profile and inclusion of people with disability through a diversity of roles and projects over his working life. His voluntary work includes currently being the president of People with Disability Australia, extensive campaigning on disability issues with media, politicians and across community. His innovative ideas have led to sustained initiatives that raise the profile, inclusion and support of people with disability including the ACT Inclusion Awards, Access City Hotline, adaptable housing work, and is a member of the ACT Disability Expert Panel. Craig’s voluntary and paid work in the community has been recognised nationally and internationally.
- Excellence in Making Inclusion Happen
Winner : Roy Daniell
Roy is an elite athlete, public speaker, professional mentor for people with disabilities, successful business owner, winner of an ACT government award for workplace excellence and patron for a blindness agency. His achievements through his work are equally milestones and set a remarkable (but achievable) example to Canberra people, business and the wider community about the benefits of full inclusion for people with disabilities. He has provided extensive community education about the inclusion of people with disability. He has made it easier for people with disability to access his business as clients.
Excellence in inclusion for mainstream services
- Inclusion in Employment (private and public)
Winner: National Mailing and Marketing
National Mail and Marketing has established a reputation for demonstrating inclusive employment practices. The specialist warehouse and mail house invests significant time and resources into supporting their employees with disability in the workplace and also supports of a range of community organisations and events that work with people with disability in the community including the Special Children’s Christmas Party, the Lions Club of Canberra and the Lara Jean Association. NMM shows leadership in ensuring the inclusion of employees with disability into their organisation and providing meaningful, productive and satisfying work for all employees.
Commendation: Department of Defence
The Department of Defence strives to enhance capability through diversity and inclusion. Defence has adopted a diverse suite of initiatives to promote and create a diverse and inclusive culture within the organisation, including the appointment of dedicated Disability Champions throughout the organisation, the establishment of the Centre of Diversity Expertise, the Defence Intellectual Disability Employment Initiative and the pilot of a Reasonable Adjustment Passport.
- Inclusion in Education and Training
Winner: UC High School Kaleen
UC High School Kaleen has gone above and beyond the core function of providing education to fostering a whole school community of inclusion of students with disability. UC High School Kaleen has demonstrated their commitment to inclusion and making all students feel welcome and a part of the school community through a number of initiatives, including setting up an inclusion leadership group, embedding inclusion into the administrative practices of the school, embedding alternative communication within the school and creating opportunities for students with disability to have valued roles within the school and out in the community. The positive effect of the welcoming school community is recognised across the board by staff, students and families.
- Excellence in Inclusion
Winner: Rebus
Rebus is a training organisation that raises the profile and awareness of disability by using forum theatre to deliver dynamic disability awareness training. The program involves both people with disability and people without disability in the core of what they do. Rebus portrays everyday life experiences and provides the audience an opportunity to walk in the shoes of a person with disability in specific situations. The program allows the audience to show by example how each individual has the power to do something to improve equity and diversity in the community.
Excellence in delivering enabling and inclusive specialist disability services
- Excellence in Innovation
Winner : Jessica May, Enabled Employment
Jessica is the founder and CEO of the innovative new start-up business Enabled Employment which is a telework labour hire company for people with a disability. Enabled Employment is unique in Australia and possibly the world with its approach of using telework to enable highly capable people with a disability to find productive and well-paid employment. The enterprise is innovative in the use of telework, the employment agency business model, the latest cloud technology to make the process easy for employers and employees. She also shows innovation and leadership in marketing. The enterprise is unique – operating in a private sector environment and employing only people with disability. They have achieved high levels of take up by employers in a short period.
- Above and Beyond Award (Individual or Organisation nominated by service users)
Winner : Mark Knowles, Senior Diversity Officer, Department of Industry
Mark is employed in a specialist disability support role with the Department of Industry. As Senior Diversity Officer he is coordinator of the Disability consultative network and is the central point of liaison for the disability network.Mark was nominated by the family of a man with disability who had been supported to participate in an ongoing voluntary basis with the Department.Markhas an active role in making tangible changes in attitudes, practices and acceptance of difference to enable this to occur.
Excellence in enabling inclusion through supporting people with disability
- Emerging Young Leader / Support Worker
Joint winner: Nip Wijewickrema
Nip is the older sister of Gayana Wijewickrema and was instrumental in launching GGs flowers, a social enterprise florist business. Nip balances working fulltime with doing the administration, account keeping and advertising for GGs flowers each night, and spending her weekends working with her sister on flower deliveries and attending local markets. Nip engages with the media to promote the role of socially sustainable businesses in Canberra and has visions of expanding GG’s flowers to train and employ other young people with disability. Nip’s dedication to GG’s flowers ensures that the business not only survives but thrives.
Joint winner: Kim Eason
Kim has extensive experience in working with people with disability, and uses her passion of photography to create connections and build relationships with the people she works with. Kim has led a number of initiatives that support people with disability, and their families to pursue their goals and dreams and support people with disability to develop the skills required to live independently. Kim strives to work with a person centre approach and engages with the community at all levels to foster inclusion.
- Excellence in Leadership / Inclusive Support Work
Joint winner: Jim Reeder
Jim is a passionate physiotherapist who has demonstrated his commitment to enriching the lives of people with disability through his volunteer work with TADACT and years of service at Therapy ACT. Jim has been a leader in the development and design of affordable early intervention equipment and has been pivotal in the development of the Freedom Wheels program at TADACT. Jim has supported people with disability to meet their goals through innovative thinking and persistence, and encourage others to consider alternative community activities for people with disability.
Joint winner: Ben Lane
Ben has shown dedication to providing individualised and innovative support to people with disability. In particular Ben has demonstrated his passion for empowering individuals to reach their goals by his work in training an assistance dog. Ben has demonstrated initiative and dedication through his work with the assistance dog and his owner, and in the process has raised awareness of disability in the community and set an example for others in supporting people with disability to realise their independence.
- Long Service Award
Joint winner: Nancy Tingey
Nancy has worked over the past 20 years to establish an innovative art therapy program called ‘Painting with Parkinsons’. This program has a strong emphasis on participation and encourages both people with a disability and their carers to take part in the activities offered, providing opportunities for participants to connect with and make a positive contribution to their community. Nancy is a leader in this field, and has developed connections with local organisations to expand the opportunities for inclusion of the participants. Nancy assists people with disability to have valued roles through the making of art.
Joint winner: Terry Millar
Terry has been the Executive Director of the ACT Muscular Dystrophy Association for the past 14 years, and in this role has championed her vision of creating a better community through developing innovative ideas and initiatives. Terry has been involved in a number of campaigns and programs that support people with muscular dystrophy and their families, and has a strong association with a range of community organisations that work to expand opportunities for people with disability in Canberra. Terry is well known in the Canberra community and actively involved in the lives of people with muscular dystrophy.