Leading disability advocacy and reform

As a university student, El began her Communications degree at UTS with dreams of becoming a journalist, but at the time the industry was rife with misconceptions that people with disability could not work in the field, that people with mobility challenges would not be able to handle heavy camera and broadcast equipment, and the public would not be receptive to seeing a disabled journalist on TV. Despite these obstacles, El completed her UTS degree and found a career in the community sector – working in politics, communications, and media from that angle, where her skills could thrive at the forefront of changes in the digital communications landscape.

This path led to her current role as CEO of Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA). The peak body for disability advocacy organizations across Australia that supports people with disability navigate systems and to uphold their rights. A current project of DANA is the Disability Dialogue, which brings the disability community together to find policy solutions for the big problems faced by those with disability. The project itself is led by people with disability

“It's really important to have disabled people leading disability organisations, particularly those who are charged with a representative role,” El emphasises. “We have a saying in the disability community, ‘nothing about us without us,’ and that's what we mean. Don't do things to us. Let us lead and let us be in charge of what happens next.”

This call for inclusion goes beyond just representation. Disabled people, by their very nature, are some the best problem solvers to be found within any population of people. Every day, disabled people must find ways to adapt to world not designed with them in mind. They are well practiced in coming up with creative and innovative solutions to challenges – a skill that can be applied to any type of business, institutional, or societal need.

A persistent optimism to overcome obstacles, exemplified by the disability community, is an enduring force which El believes young people, especially young UTS alumni, can look to.

Seeing the disability community as an asset, not as a liability, is a cultural change that the entire alumni community can help champion. “Everyone can have a role to play in even their own workplaces, particularly folks in leadership. If you're not hiring people with disability and you don't have people with disability in your workplace, ask yourself, why? What are the barriers? And what can you do to change that?” El explains, “There are great opportunities for organisations to open their doors to people with disability, to hire us, to use us as consultants, and to engage all the expertise that we have to offer.”