Chief Executive Officer update - December 2024

Hello,

Welcome to the final edition of News@Yooralla for 2024.  

We’ve showed no signs of slowing down as we head towards the end of the year, with many reasons to celebrate of late.  

We had a great day celebrating International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) celebrating and supporting the leadership of people with disability. 

In line with this year’s theme of IDPwD, we chatted to two of Yooralla’s exemplary leaders, Annette and Fiona about what disability leadership means, why it matters, and how it drives positive change. While those with lived experience are best suited to lead conversations on accessibility and inclusion, we also spoke to two allies, Nikki and Elouise, about what it means to them to be an ally, and how organisations can support disability leadership. 

On IDPwD itself, we welcomed Minister for the NDIS Bill Shorten and the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commissioner Louise Glanville to our St Albans Hub. The Minister and Commissioner spent time with clients and staff on this significant day, sharing morning tea while reflecting on the importance of IDPwD and the difference that the NDIS has made on the lives of people with disability.  

We were also incredibly grateful to be in the room with such brilliant leaders and advocates in the disability community at the Victorian Disability Awards later that day, and were humbled to receive the Advocacy for People award, recognising our Executive Internship program that was created in collaboration with the Disability Leadership Institute.  
 
It was an honour to recognised alongside Uli Cartwright from Life is a Battlefield is a Battlefield, who is campaigning to change Victoria’s gag laws and Dr Jane Hickey from Victoria University, who is advocating for the rights of students with disability to experience accessible and inclusive education alongside their peers, from early childhood to higher education. 

2024 was certainly a big year for the disability sector. We look forward to working with our clients and community as some of the recommendations of both the NDIS Review and the Disability Royal Commission come to fruition, to ensure that we are representing their needs whenever and wherever we can.  

We rounded out our year with the completion of a merger with Berry Street, as we join forces to deliver greater impact and expanded services to our community. We look forward to bringing the expertise in our highly skilled workforces together to develop innovative services for people with disability and those experiencing trauma, violence and abuse. 

Thank you for all your support in 2024, as we look forward to another year as a community.  

Enjoy the holiday season - stay safe and well. 

Stay safe and well. 

Terry Symonds
Chief Executive officer