Following the success of Kyabram District Health Service’s celebrations in previous years, a new steering committee was formed in Echuca to create a local event.
The steering committee consists of representatives from Vivid, Community Living and Respite Services and U-Choose, with support from Intereach, Echuca Regional Health, Campaspe Shire Council and KDHS.
U-Choose Independent Support Services senior manager Molly Russell said the event would help highlight the presence of local disability organisations.
“We were aware of Kyabram doing it, and our participants and staff have gone across there in previous years and actually celebrated there with them,” she said.
“With Echuca-Moama being so big and with multiple (disability) organisations around here ... having all the organisations come together to do it, it's really important to just remind everyone and the community of what we do around here.”
The IDPwD is a United Nations day held annually on December 3, and is aimed at promoting inclusivity and removing barriers for people with disability.
In Australia, it is a chance to be part of creating an inclusive and diverse community for the 5.5 million people with disability across the nation.
This year’s theme for IDPwD will be ‘Fostering disability-inclusive societies for advancing social progress’.
While local disability support services have marked the day individually in previous years, this will be the first combined event in Echuca-Moama organised and led by people with a disability.
CLRS services manager for support co-ordination Alison Halloran said she hoped the event would help everyone in the community feel connected and welcome.
“Often there’s assumptions that kids with disability don't integrate, and often they’re not in mainstream events and things like that, so it's a great opportunity,” she said.
“I hope (people) engage and come and meet everybody and see what people can do. We actually have quite a large disability community within the Echuca-Moama area, and I think making people feel welcome is really important.
“The more that we connect with the whole community, the more welcome everybody feels in different spaces and environments.”
Volunteers from the CLRS Recyclability program and the Murray Tea Room will be on site with pre-packaged gifts and treats for sale.
Representatives from the KDHS ‘What We Can Do’ group will also attend with Christmas items.
Vivid’s Josh Cheap and Joel Awty will share the role of master of ceremonies while Martyn Lawrence, a local man living with cerebral palsy, will be the day's guest speaker.
Participating disability support services and local organisations will also host stalls with information about their services for attendees to browse.
The event will be held at the Echuca Recreation Reserve on Tuesday, December 2 from 10am to 1pm.
Anyone interested in being a part of the event can email Fiona Brown at Intereach.loddon@ndis.gov.au or call 1300 488 226.
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