People with Disability Australia Incorporated

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Photo of PWD staff at a rally in Sydney outside Parliament House

Who we are

People with Disability Australia Incorporated (PWDA) is a national peak disability rights and advocacy organisation. Our primary membership is made up of people with disability and organisations primarily constituted by people with disability. PWDA also has a large associate membership of other individuals and organisations committed to the disability rights movement. Founded in 1981, the International Year of Disabled Persons, People with Disability Australia seeks to provide people with disability with a voice of our own. We have a cross-disability focus representing the interests of people with all kinds of disability. We are a non-profit, non-government organisation.

Our Vision

We have a vision of a socially just, accessible, and inclusive community, in which the human rights, citizenship, contribution, potential and diversity of all people with disability are recognised, respected and celebrated.

Our Purpose

Our purpose is to be a leading disability rights, advocacy and representative organisation of and for all people with disability, which strives for the realisation of our vision of a socially just, accessible, and inclusive community.

Our Work

We provide or undertake:

  • Rights-related information, advice and referral services for people with disability and their associates
  • Short-term individual and group advocacy assistance to people with disability and their associates
  • Advocacy for reform around systemic issues that adversely affect people with disability and their associates
  • Representation of the sector of interest constituted by people with disability and their associates to government, industry and the non-government sector
  • Coordination of the sector of interest constituted by people with disability and their associates
  • Disability rights-related research and development around issues of concern to people with disability and their associates
  • Disability rights-related training and education for people with disability and their associates, service providers, government and the public.

This work is supported in part by grants of financial assistance from both the State and Commonwealth Governments. This assistance is acknowledged with appreciation.

Our Core Values

We believe that people with disability, irrespective of our age, gender, cultural or linguistic background, religious beliefs, geographic location, sexuality, or the nature, origin, or degree of disability:

  • have a right to life and to bodily integrity;
  • are entitled to a decent standard of living, an adequate income and to lead active and satisfying lives;
  • are people first, with human, legal, and service user rights that must be recognised and respected;
  • are entitled to the full enjoyment of our citizenship rights and responsibilities;
  • are entitled to live free from prejudice, discrimination and vilification;
  • are entitled to social support and adjustments as a right and not as the result of pity, charity or the exercise of social control;
  • contribute substantially to the intellectual, cultural, economic and social diversity and well-being of our community;
  • possess many skills and abilities, and have enormous potential for life-long growth and development;
  • are entitled to live in, and be a part of, the diversity of the community;
  • have the right to participate in the formulation of those policies and programs that affect our lives; and
  • must be empowered to exercise our rights and responsibilities, without fear of retribution.

Our Principles

In realising our vision, mission and core values, we are guided by the following principles:

  • We are passionate, innovative and fearless in the promotion and defence of the rights and interests of people with disability
  • We are accessible and responsive to our community, and inclusive of its diversity
  • We encourage, empower and support the civic participation of people with disability
  • We are collaborative and supportive in our relationships within the disability rights movement as a whole
  • We are accountable for our activities to our members, to people with disability generally and to the public
  • We always act with honesty and integrity
  • We are resourceful and efficient in the marshlaling and management of the resources needed to undertake our work.

Annual Report and Strategic Plan

PWDA Annual Report 2011-2012 PDF 40.4kb
PWDA Annual Report 2011-2012 Word 150kb

Forward to our future: Strategic Directions 2007-2010 PDF 153kb
Forward to our future: Strategic Directions 2007-2010 RTF 182kb

Previous reports can be found on the Archived Publications page.

More about PWD

 

PWDA Publications

PWD Media Releases

PWD E-bulletin #62, June 2010