27 November 2023
- Celebrating International Day for People with Disability through art, laughter and music
- A magical evening of Igniting Inclusion for People with Disability
- A creative platform for people with disability to express themselves
- Tapping into art, music and laughter to celebrate People with Disability
- Uniting people of all abilities through art, music and laughter
To celebrate International Day of Disability, Achieve Australia presents Igniting Inclusion, an evening to celebrate inclusivity through the power of creativity, music and comedy. This will be held on Monday 4 December at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta.
Top billing for the night is thought-provoking funny man Tim Ferguson. Tim’s new live show Disability Rules is part lecture, part personal journey, and part comedy show. A thoroughly entertaining presentation on The Rules of Disability in modern Australia.
Tim uses his whip-smart mind and comedic mastery to bring his modern perspective as he navigates life from a wheelchair, thanks to his Multiple Sclerosis.
Tim shares, "like magic, this show treads on toes and breaks rules without getting out of it. Wheelchair! A good way to get serious about disability is to first find the humour in it! I’m also excited to see in-person some of the artworks submitted in the first ever Artful Art Prize. As an artist myself, I am the proud Ambassador for Artful, so I hope to meet some of the amazingly talented artists on the night.
Artful received more than 640 submissions in its first year with the theme Express Yourself, and I’ve been blown away by the talent. I don’t know of any other art competitions that welcome submissions from everyone regardless of age, where they live, or their previous art ability - so Artful presents an opportunity to unite community through art”.
There will be an exhibition of Artful artworks across 6 categories, the chance to meet some of the emerging artist winners and the opportunity to purchase some of their artworks.
You’ll also hear from The Achieve Foundation, who are launching an exciting and innovative project set to deliver 600 jobs in open employment for people with disability in the next 2 years. Three disability service providers, Life Without Barriers, Yooralla and Achieve Australia have committed to this ambitious target.
The panel, led by Executive Director of The Achieve Foundation Kirsty Nowlan, includes sector advocates Clare Gibellini and Jeff Smith. You will hear them discuss the initiative in detail, including timings and plans for scale.
“The Disability Employment Catalyst is an exciting new initiative that aims to accelerate the employment of people with disability. You will hear from leaders in the disability movement about the need for change and the opportunity to demonstrate that employing people with disability leads to better outcomes for both staff and clients”, says Kirsty.
Chief Executive of Achieve Australia, Jo-Anne Hewitt, says she is excited to host an event that is inclusive and celebrates people with disability.
“Igniting Inclusion gives us the chance to highlight some great initiatives. The Disability Employment Catalyst that The Achieve Foundation is launching is a game-changer and will demonstrate how collaboration within the sector will yield real outcomes for people with disability. The Artful Art Prize exhibition is a great example of what happens when we include everyone in our community and unite to share our voices, and I’ve no doubt Tim Ferguson will keep us on the edge of our seats with his newest show”, Jo-Anne says.
Guests will also be treated to a powerful soulful performance by award-winning singer/song-writer Justine Eltakchi. Justine is the song-writer behind “Proud”, which came 2nd at Eurovision Australia 2020, and wrote songs which made the iTunes Top 10 and the ARIA Album Charts. Born legally blind, Justine is a disability advocate and APRA AMCOS ambassador.
Tickets are $20 and are available to purchase on Eventbrite.
Tickets include drinks and canapes at the event.
Join Tim Ferguson, Justine Eltakchi, Achieve Australia and The Achieve Foundation for Igniting Inclusion on Monday 4 December at 6pm at CommBank Stadium Parramatta.
Available for interview. Please contact ________ to schedule.
Kirsy Nowlan, Executive Director, The Achieve Foundation
Tim Ferguson
Jo-Anne Hewitt, Chief Executive, Achieve Australia
Artful Art Prize winners, runners up and highly commended (national)