News

‘Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world’.

The United Nations theme for International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) is particularly relevant for the Brotherhood of St. Laurence (BSL) and the wider Australian community right now. We have gone through a transformative change over the last few years, and this has affected how we work, socialise, and interact with the world.

BSL this week launched our inaugural Disability Action Plan (DAP), which outlines our long-term commitment to access and inclusion.

As we move into the post-COVID era, we must think deeply about what we can do to make Australia a more equitable, accessible, and inclusive place for people with disability. The innovations and lessons we have learned over the last few years can inspire us to think more broadly on what disability is and what accessibility means.

Accessibility is not confined to disability, but it is a broader conversation of how we design for inclusion. It’s about how we imagine and value our audience, customers, colleagues, family, and friends, and how we consider their experience in our society. We must include people with disability in our thinking when designing the world around us, or we will be consciously or subconsciously excluding an important cohort of our community.

Joshua Morgan is the Diversity and Inclusion Lead at the Brotherhood of St. Laurence (BSL) and a proud blind person.