Australia Awards South and West Asia

Australia Awards – South Asia & Mongolia recently supported a group of 11 disability advocates representing five countries to take part in a professional development opportunity in Australia. The group included three professionals from India: Suganthi Shaiju, Senior Programme Officer (Inclusive Eye Health) at CBM India Trust, a non-government organisation that exists to build an inclusive society where people with disability can achieve their full potential; Dr Satyapal Singh, Chief Coach of Indian Para-Athletics, Paralympic Committee of India; and Amar Jain, a corporate lawyer who has worked extensively on disability rights and accessibility. Amar is a recipient of the Government of India’s National Award for the Empowerment of Persons with Disability in the category of Sarvshresth Divyangjan (Role Model).

The 10-day learning opportunity took place at the end of November, concluding shortly before International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December. All participants were chosen on the basis of being people working in policy and advocacy within the disability sector in their home country. During the visit, they learnt how different sectors in Australia work together with people with disability to provide the best outcomes for the people for whom they are providing services. Activities included site visits, presentations from government agencies and non-government organisations, and meetings with local people with disability.

Suganthi (far right), Amar (fourth from right) and Dr Satyapal (third from left, back row) with other participants outside of Minda social enterprise INC Cafe.

The three Indian participants travelled to Adelaide, South Australia, on Wednesday 20 November. From 21 November to 30 November, Australia Awards facilitated a diverse series of learning opportunities for all 11 representatives from South Asia. With more than a full week of activities, there was much for Suganthi, Dr Satyapal and Amar to engage with and learn from.

The itinerary of events ranged from an informative meeting with the Disability team from the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Monday 25 November to an extensive review of facilities in the beachside suburbs of Glenelg and North Brighton on Tuesday 26 November. There, the group examined accessible beach equipment (including beach wheelchairs), a Changing Places facility at Bouchee Walk, Minda social enterprise INC Cafe (an inclusive venue that provides employment for people of all abilities and caters to different dietary needs) and accessibility innovations at Glenelg Library.

A significant element of the experience in Australia involved the participants learning about Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which funds reasonable and necessary supports associated with significant and permanent disability for people under 65 years old. For example, on Thursday 28 November the group took part in a site visit to VIVA Mutual, an Adelaide-based registered NDIS provider. VIVA Mutual’s founder and Managing Director, Dr Guy Turnbull, led the visitors through the fundamentals of disability and entrepreneurship, a Case Study of social care, and a discussion of what good support looks like. As an award-winning social entrepreneur, Guy spoke passionately about the need to treat both Disability Support workers and participants with dignity and respect.

Suganthi (left) and Amar (right) participate in a smoking ceremony at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.

On 29 November, the participants attended a panel discussion hosted by the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing on inclusive sport. They heard from speakers representing Athletics SA, Tenpin SA, Special Olympics, and Novita Children’s Services about the benefits and challenges of making sports inclusive and ensuring their programs appropriately consulted with people with disability.

The participants had the chance to engage in cultural activities during their program. On Wednesday 27 November, the participants engaged with First Nations culture, with a cultural tour of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, led by Keneifa Hayes, an Arrernte man and Cultural Officer with Southern Cultural Immersion. On the evening of Friday 29 November, the participants enjoyed a cultural experience in the form of AMPLIFY 2024!, a production of three new theatre pieces from important South Australian theatre company No Strings Attached Theatre of Disability. Presented at the State Opera Rehearsal Studio and including audio description for the visually impaired, AMPLIFY 2024! brings 35 disabled performers together to celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This annual end-of-year performance sees the theatre ensemble devise new works out of their performers’ own thoughts, ideas and creativity.

In the morning of Saturday 30 November, the group visited the Adelaide Kids & Youth Disability Expo at Netball SA Stadium in Mile End, west of the city, having met the day before with Ben Waechter, Managing Director of the organisation behind the event. The expo showcases some of Australia’s most innovative products and services available for young people with disability. It offers interactive displays and lots of family fun, as well as providing information that allows young people with disability, their families and their carers to make informed choices about the support network available to them.

Finally, on Sunday 1 December, the participants concluded their educational visit and flew back to their home countries, full of new perspectives that they can bring to bear in their advocacy roles back home.

Amar (left) and Suganthi (right)on Glenelg Beach with the support of a mat designed for people with disability to access the sand.

With collective decades of experience in championing disability rights, the three Indian participants were well placed to share their own perspectives as well as gain new ideas to implement in India. “The beach visit provided the opportunity to see the accessible mats and listen to the stories of people accessing the beach for the first time,” Suganthi says. “These stories will remain with me for a long time. In India, they are trying something similar, but it is not as accessible as the mats [that we saw]. I took a lot of photos to take back home and provide examples of how it can be done better,” Suganthi says, reflecting on how the Australian visit will help her further contribute in the development sector.

“I also enjoyed the visit to INC Café, which was fully staffed by people with disabilities. Within India there are people providing job opportunities to people with disabilities, but this took that to the next level”, Suganthi says.  “The café was fully accessible, and there were lots of families using the space”.

Amar received new insights on how he could deepen his engagement with others in India working towards similar goals. “One thing I learnt is that in Australia, groups have buy-in from government as a result of dialogue and a culture of understanding the needs of people with disability. This is in contrast to an adversarial approach of advocacy without understanding, and is a very good lesson for me to take back,” he says.

Dr Satyapal, who has travelled to more than 60 countries as the chief coach of the Indian Para Sports team, nonetheless felt that this learning opportunity in Australia was unique. “The sports panel discussion was informative, and I gained insights into the accessibility of venues and sports in Adelaide,” he says.

Dr Satyapal (left) with Amar (right) at Adelaide Botanic Gardens.

All three of these Indian disability champions have already made great contributions towards an inclusive and sustainable future. We look forward to seeing how they—alongside the rest of the visiting participants—apply the new insights they have gained from Australia.