The Right to Mobility
Presentations by David Constantine, Lloyd Walker and Damian Griffis
With Gayle Rankin, Board Member of the First Peoples Aboriginal Disability Network (Australia) (panel only)
Introduced by Kelly Vincent MLC, Dignity for Disability party
Tuesday 31 August 2010
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Jointly presented by the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre and Motivation Australia
Bradley Forum, UniSA City West campus, Hawke Building level 5, 50-55 North Terrace, Adelaide
Powerpoint presentations available from presenters (as pdf format):
The World Health Organisation estimates that 1% of any population has a mobility disability and require a wheelchair for their mobility. In Australia, that equates to an estimated 215,000 people. The Right to Mobility has been recognised by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with a Disability, however, an estimated 20 million people living in low income countries today still require a wheelchair and do not have one. In Australia there are also gaps in wheelchair service delivery, particularly amongst aboriginal communities living in rural and remote locations.
Through presentations and a panel discussion, David Constantine, Lloyd Walker and Damian Griffis will:
- Explore the link between Mobility and Human Rights and introduce the World Health Organisation Guidelines on the Provision of Wheelchairs in Less Resourced Settings;
- Present Motivation's approaches to wheelchair service delivery in less resourced settings;
- Review current wheelchair service delivery approaches in remote communities in Australia.
Information on Motivation Australia: Kylie Mines, Motivation Australia: E: kmines@motivation.org.uk; www.motivation.org.au T: +61 8 8556 6703 / +61 4398 40194
Those interested in this session may wish to read the current SA Social Inclusion Unit discussion paper on disability. Submissions and comment are invited. Go to: Activating Citizenship - A Social Inclusion Approach for Disability in South Australia.
Biographies
David Constantine is Co-Founder and Executive Officer of Motivation UK, a registered charity which works to create sustainable projects to enhance the quality of life of people with mobility disabilities in low income countries. David is on the Board of Governors of Motivation Australia, the Australian branch of Motivation UK working to enhance the quality of life of wheelchair users in the Asia Pacific Region. As a wheelchair user and designer, David has an in-depth knowledge of the importance of appropriate technology. In December 2009 David was awarded an MBE for services to disabled people.
Lloyd Walker is Managing Director of Tech4Life, a consulting firm focused on enabling people through technology. His current focus is on knowledge translation to assist consumers, policy makers and providers achieve the most out of assistive technology. Lloyd is a qualified rehabilitation engineer focused on the use of technology to empower people with disabilities and the aged.
Lloyd has established an assistive technology facility in North Queensland, developed a distance learning package in Assistive Technology training and helped establish a new Occupational Therapy Unit at James Cook University. He has taught a range of disciplines including engineers, sport scientists, allied health and medical professionals. Lloyd lead Australia's largest multidisciplinary group focused on assistive technology (NovitaTech) in Adelaide for 7 years. He now offers his expertise on the research, policy development and delivery of assistive technologies nationally.
Lloyd continues to serve on a number of boards and committees, here and internationally, focused on enhancing our community. He is married to an environmental engineer and they have two school-age daughters.
Damian Griffis is a leading advocate for the human rights of Aboriginal people with disability. In 2004/05 Damian undertook a major consultative project visiting Aboriginal communities across the state of New South Wales discussing the unmet needs of Aboriginal people with disability. He liaised directly with Aboriginal people with disability and their carers; and this culminated in the report entitled Telling It Like It Is. Damian is currently the Executive Officer of the First Peoples Disability Network (Australia), the new national peak organisation representing Aboriginal people with disabilities.
Damian continues to represent the views of Aboriginal people with disability in a range of forums. Internationally he has been a lead advocate in the establishment of the Pacific Disability Forum, a network of disabled people's organisations from 13 Pacific Island nations.
While the views presented by speakers within the Hawke Centre public program are their own and are not necessarily those of either the University of South Australia or The Hawke Centre, they are presented in the interest of open debate and discussion in the community and reflect our themes of: strengthening our democracy - valuing our diversity - and building our future.
The copying and reproduction of any transcripts within the Hawke Centre public program is strictly forbidden without prior arrangements.
