Women With Disabilities Australia 2010-11 AnnuAl...

WWDA 2010-11 AnnuAl RepoRt 1 www.wwda.or g .au

www.wwda.or g .au

Women With Disabi l i t ies Austral ia2010-11 AnnuAl RepoRt


Women With Disabi l i t ies Austral ia (WWDA)

PO Box 605, Rosny Park Tasmania, Austral ia 7018ABN 23 627 650 121Ph +61 3 6244 8288 Fax +61 3 6244 8255Email [email protected] www.wwda.org.au

© Women With Disabi l i t ies Austral ia (WWDA) October 2011

Winner, nat ional Human Rights Award 2001

Winner, nat ional Violence prevention Award 1999

Winner, tasmanian Women’s Safety Award 2008

Cert i f icate of Merit , Austral ian Crime & Violence prevention Awards 2008

nominee, French Republ ic ’s Human Rights pr ize 2003

nominee, un Mil lennium peace pr ize for Women 2000

This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be

reproduced without written permission from Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA).

All possible care has been taken in the preparation of the information contained in this document.

WWDA disclaims any liability for the accuracy and sufficiency of the information and under no

circumstances shall be liable in negligence or otherwise in or arising out of the preparation or supply

of any of the information aforesaid.

Women With DisabilitiesAustralia(WWDA)


ContentS

WoMen WitH DiSAbilitieS AuStRAliA (WWDA) 4

WWDA MAnAgeMent CoMMittee AnD StAFF 5

WWDA’S StRAtegiC goAlS 2010 - 2015 6

A WoRD FRoM tHe pReSiDent 7

WWDA exeCutiVe DiReCtoRS RepoRt 8

ouR peRFoRMAnCe & ACHieVeMentS 2010 - 2011 10

PROmOTing The humAn RighTs Of WOmen WiTh DisABiliTies

nATiOnAlly & inTeRnATiOnAlly 11

unDeRTAking sysTemiC ADvOCACy in sPeCifiC AReAs Of COnCeRn

TO WOmen WiTh DisABiliTies 13

BuilDing On OuR key ROle in The PRODuCTiOn AnD DisseminATiOn

Of infORmATiOn, PuBliCATiOns & ReseARCh 16

DevelOPing The inTeRnAl & exTeRnAl OPeRATiOns Of WWDA 18

COnTRiBuTing TO gOveRnmenT POliCies AffeCTing WOmen

WiTh DisABiliTies 20

WWDA FinAnCiAl StAteMentS 2010-2011 23

AppenDix 1: FeeDbACk 33

AppenDix 2: WWDA RepReSentAtion 2010 - 2011 37


■ is the peak non-government organisation for women with all types of disabilities in Australia

■ is managed and run by women with disabilities and is the only organisation of its kind in Australia

■ enables the voices of women with disabilities to be heard and represents their collective interests

■ is an inclusive human rights organisation which works systemically at a national and international level

■ undertakes work that is grounded in a rights based framework

■ links gender and disability issues to a full range of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights

■ is a leading and resilient voice in national human rights debates

■ is internationally acknowledged as a leader in the growing international disabled women’s movement

■ is committed to promoting and advancing the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women with disabilities

WoMen WItH DISABIlItIeS AuStRAlIA (WWDA)


Pamela menere Treasurer

WWDA StAFF

sue salthouse President

helen meekosha

Carolyn frohmader executive Director

margie Charlesworth vice President

shirley Raspin Office & finance manager

Rayna lamb secretary

sheila king vicki AlipasinopoulosAnnie Parkinson samantha Jenkinson karin swift

WWDA MAnAgeMent CoMMIt tee & StAFF


1. Promote and protect the rights of women with disabilities nationally and internationally.

2. undertake systemic advocacy in specific areas of concern to women with disabilities.

3. Continue to build on WWDA’s key role in the consolidation, production and dissemination of high

quality information, publications and research on issues relevant to women with disabilities.

4. further develop the internal and external operations of the organisation in order to achieve its

vision, goals and objectives.

5. Contribute to the development and implementation of Australian government policies affecting

women with disabilities.

WWDA’S StRAtegIC goAlS 2010-2015


“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”

opening words of Article 1 of universal

Declaration of Human Rights, 1948

for many women with disabilities,

discussions about “human rights” are an

academic and esoteric indulgence. for

many of us the daily urgent needs are

for safety, money for living - housing,

food, equipment, household help, and

importantly acknowledgement of their

basic personhood. WWDA is grounded

by this knowledge when undertaking our

systemic advocacy.

in this Annual Report, you can read

of the many activities that WWDA has

undertaken, arranged according to their

contribution to the realisation of our

strategic goals. in 2010-2011, it has been

exciting to have direct representation at

A WoRD FRoM tHe pReSIDent Sue SAltHouSe

the un in new york. We have also had

input to government and ngO reports

for the universal Periodic Review and un

Conventions; contributed to domestic

law reform processes and development

of national policy plans; and continued

dissemination of information to our

members, organisations, governments

and other individuals. Our policy paper

‘Assessing the situation of women with

disabilities in Australia: A human rights

approach’; is an important, comprehensive

human rights reference work.

WWDA thanks the Department of families,

housing, Community services and

indigenous Affairs (fahCsiA) for its funding

support. This funding enables us to employ

our full time executive Director and our

part-time Office & finance manager, and

operate our small office in hobart. On

behalf of the management Committee

and all our members, i want to give special

thanks to the WWDA staff. The visible

work produced by WWDA, as outlined in

this report is only the tip of the iceberg.

spend half a day in the WWDA office,

and you will get some insight as to the

influx of requests and the frenetic pace

that is constant. i sincerely thank Carolyn

and shirley for all that they contribute to

WWDA. my thanks are also due to margie

Charlesworth for her support and input

as the WWDA vice-President and to all

members of the management Committee

for their wise counsel and assistance.

WWDA looks forward to 2012. i am

optimistic that our decade-long efforts

to protect the reproductive rights of

women and girls with disabilities will bring

about the necessary legislative change

to protect all from non-therapeutic or

forced sterilisation. WWDA will continue to

collaborate closely with disability, feminist

and social justice organisations, national

and internationally, to ensure that the voice

of women with disabilities becomes a

force to be reckoned with and recognised.

Sue Salthouse

WWDA President


The 2010-2011 year proved to be full of very significant achievements for WWDA.

Our work has had considerable impact,

both within and outside Australia, and

has consolidated our role not only as the

national representative organisation for

women with disabilities in Australia, but

also as a highly regarded, leading voice in

national and international efforts to protect

and promote the human rights of women

and girls with disabilities.

Our work to enable and represent the

collective interests of women with

disabilities in the international human

rights treaty monitoring processes, has

been particularly rewarding. Our member

Christina Ryan did an outstanding job

in new york, representing women with

disabilities at both the 46th session of the

WWDA eXeCutIVe DIReCtoR’S RepoRt CARolyn FRoHMADeR

monitoring Committee for the Convention

on the elimination of All forms of

Discrimination against Women (CeDAW),

and the 55th session of the Commission of

the status of Women (CsW). Our advocacy

and lobbying efforts in both these process

were highly successful. The CeDAW

Committee took great notice of our input

and the CeDAW Concluding Observations

made very strong recommendations

regarding the need for urgent action by

Australian governments in relation to

women with disabilities, particularly in

the areas of forced sterilisation, violence,

leadership and participation.

We intensified our efforts to promote the

reproductive rights of women and girls

with disabilities, focusing on lobbying

governments and other key stakeholders

to demand an end to the practice of

non-therapeutic and forced sterilisation

of girls and women with disabilities. Our

work in this area has been recognised

internationally, and has seen us become

an active and key stakeholder in a new

global Campaign to stop forced and

coerced sterilisation of women in different

parts of the world and among different

populations. We continued to work hard

nationally and internationally to promote

the right of women with disabilities to

freedom from violence, in all its forms,

and have seen some improvement in

the inclusion of women with disabilities

in national, state and territory violence

prevention frameworks, strategies and

initiatives.

We researched and published our major

Policy Paper entitled ‘Assessing the

situation of women with disabilities in

Australia: A human rights approach’;

continued to publish our international

quarterly newsletter ‘WWDA-news’, further

developed our website, disseminated

information to our extensive and ever-

growing membership, and authored

chapters on women with disabilities

for major texts in the fields of law, and

disability theory. We presented papers

and showcased our work at international,

national, and state based conferences

and forums, developed new partnerships


and collaborative relationships, and further

strengthened our existing relationships

within the disability, women’s, and human

rights sectors.

We provided advice to governments

on policy, program and service delivery

issues emerging from our membership,

and advised governments on the impact

of social policy initiatives on women with

disabilities. We undertook an extensive

amount of work to inform the Productivity

Commission’s inquiry into a national

Disability Care and support scheme,

and worked hard to ensure the lived

experiences which arise from gender, with

attention to the perspective of women

and girls in particular, are considered in the

development of the scheme and addressed

in its implementation.

Through a satisfaction survey, we asked

our constituents what they thought of our

performance as the national representative

body for women with disabilities. We asked

them what they thought about how we

go about our work on their behalf. The

response was overwhelmingly supportive.

Our organisation is highly respected,

seen as an organisation of integrity,

relevance, commitment, rigour and

transparency. Whilst we are delighted that

our organisation and our work is so highly

valued, we will continue to look at ways to

improve our performance.

Our organisation has only two paid staff

and relies heavily on the commitment,

goodwill and dedication of our

management Committee and members.

As executive Director, i would like

to take this opportunity to thank sue

salthouse (WWDA President) and margie

Charlesworth (WWDA vice President), for

their dedication to their roles. my thanks

go to the WWDA management Committee

members for their contribution and support

over the past 12 months, and to the many

WWDA members who have undertaken

representative work on our behalf over the

past year. A big thanks too, as always, to

shirley Raspin, WWDA’s Office & finance

manager for her exceptional work in the

WWDA Office.

And lastly, but by no means least, i’d like

to make special mention of those who

responded to our urgent call for funds

to help us pay for Christina Ryan and

her support worker to get to the 46th

session of CeDAW in new york. i’d like

to acknowledge the support of senator

sue Boyce, the Bendigo Bank (Calwell &

Wanniassa branches), the international

Women’s Rights Action Watch (Asia-Pacific),

and the former Womenspeak Alliance. i’d

also like to acknowledge the support of

our member organisation Advocacy for

inclusion in supporting Christina to engage

in this important work.

The following report gives a brief synopsis

of WWDA’s performance and key

achievements over the past 12 months.

Carolyn Frohmader

WWDA Executive Director

WWDA eXeCutIVe DIReCtoR’S RepoRt CARolyn FRoHMADeR


www.wwda.or g .au

Our performance and achievements 2010-11


WWDA member, Christina Ryan, outside

the un Building, 1st Avenue, new york.

We were represented at the 46th session

of the review of the Convention on the

Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination

against Women (CEDAW), held in new

york in July 2010. WWDA member Christina

Ryan, selected as part of the seven

member Australian ngO delegation, had

the opportunity to speak directly with the

CeDAW Committee and was extremely

effective in lobbying and advocating to

ensure the issues facing women with

disabilities were kept in the forefront of the

ngO delegation’s efforts. in late 2010, the

CeDAW monitoring Committee released

its Concluding Observations on Australia’s

performance regarding the implementation

of CeDAW. The Committee clearly took

great notice of WWDA’s input, and made

very strong recommendations regarding

the need for urgent action by Australian

governments in relation to women

with disabilities, particularly in the areas

of forced sterilisation, leadership and

participation, and violence. included in the

specific recommendations is a call for the

Australian government to enact national

legislation prohibiting, except where there

is a serious threat to life or health, the

sterilisation of girls, regardless of whether

they have a disability, and of adult women

with disabilities in the absence of their fully

informed and free consent. We continue to

be a member of the ngO CeDAW Advisory

group, which in 2011, developed a CEDAW

Action Plan for government regarding the

implementation of the CeDAW Concluding

Observations. We also participated in

a number of cross-government Round

Tables to analyse and prioritise the CeDAW

Concluding Observations.

We contributed to the government and

ngO reports to the Universal Periodic

Review (UPR) of Australia. As a member

of the uPR ngO Working Party, we also

contributed detailed input to the Joint

ngO submission to the uPR of Australia,

where our priority issues of sterilisation

and violence were included in the final

ngO Report. The Australian government

appeared before the un human Rights

Council in geneva on 31 January 2011,

where 50 countries raised concerns with

Australia’s human rights performance

and made 145 recommendations to

the Australian government on how to

improve its human rights performance.

Recommendation 39 (put forward by

Denmark, the united kingdom, Belgium

and germany) specifically deals with the

issue of sterilisation of girls and women

with disabilities and calls on the Australian

government to enact national legislation

prohibiting the use of non-therapeutic

sterilisation of children, regardless of

whether they have a disability, and of

adults with disability without their informed

and free consent.

We submitted a formal communication to

the United Nations Commission on the

Status of Women (CSW) Communications

Procedure. The CsW is the principal global

policy-making body dedicated exclusively

to gender equality and advancement of

women. it considers such communications

as part of its annual programme of work

in order to identify emerging trends and

patterns of injustice and discriminatory

practices against women for purposes of

policy formulation and development of

strategies for the promotion of gender

equality. Our formal communication

submission was in response to the ongoing

practice in Australia of the non-therapeutic

sterilisation of girls with disabilities.

We were represented at the 55th session

of UN Commission of the Status of

Women (CSW) in new york, which

focused on ‘Access and participation of

women and girls in education, training,

science and technology, including for

the promotion of women’s equal access

WWDA Member, Christina Ryan, outside

the UN Building, 1st Avenue, New York.

WHAt We DID to pRoMote tHe HuMAn RIgHtS oF WoMen WItH DISABIlItIeS nAtIonAlly AnD InteRnAtIonAlly


to full employment and decent work’. An

Australian government delegation attended

the 55th session, and included three

ngO representatives, selected through a

hotly contested application process. Our

member Christina Ryan was selected as

one of the three ngO delegates to act as

expert advisors to the delegation, liaise with

other ngOs attending parallel sessions

(held outside the un grounds), and to

connect with the broader community

back home. Christina attended several

side events, including an event specifically

about women with disabilities and their

access to education and employment.

Christina was instrumental in advocating

for the inclusion of wording in the Agreed

Outcomes document, which acknowledge

the multiple disadvantage faced by women

with disabilities.

We participated in the development of

the ngO Convention on the Rights of

the Child (CRC) Shadow Report. As a

member of the Working Party to oversee

the Reports development, we were able

to provide advice on the key issues for

children and girls with disabilities. We also

provided a detailed written submission

to the process, which focused on issues

concerning the non-therapeutic sterilisation

of girls with disabilities; violence and abuse;

and removal of babies and children from

parents with disabilities. During the year,

we also continued to provide input to the

development of the Convention on the

Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)

Draft NGO Shadow Report. This work

continues and a further draft of the Report

will be provided for consultation in late

2011. We also provided a submission to

the Office of the high Commissioner for

human Rights (OhChR) thematic study on

the Role of international co-operation in

support of the Convention on the Rights of

Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

We participated in the international

study Women’s Roles in the Landscape

of Disability (Project World), being

implemented by the Public Policy Research

institute at Texas A&m university (usA).

Part of the aim of the study is to generate

an international policy perspective on

women and girls with disabilities and their

families. We provided a detailed submission

to the study, focusing on the situation

of women and girls with disabilities in

Australia, including: issues and challenges

for disabled women and girls; priorities for

disabled women; how the experiences of

disabled women and girls differ from those

of disabled men and boys; the way that

disability is defined and data is collected;

the availability of services and supports for

disabled women and girls; and, the role and

function of WWDA.

We provided a written submission to the

Australian government in response to its

Background Paper outlining the strategy

for the development of ‘A new National

Human Rights Action Plan for Australia’.

Our submission contained a number of

recommendations, several of which focus

on the process of developing the national

human Rights Action Plan (nhRAP).

We also developed a detailed funding

application to the Australian government’s

Human Rights Education Grants, for

funding to develop an information

Resource on Women With Disabilities and

the Convention on the Rights of Persons

With Disabilities (CRPD). however, our

application for funding was not successful

on this occasion.

WHAt We DID to pRoMote tHe HuMAn RIgHtS oF WoMen WItH DISABIlItIeS nAtIonAlly AnD InteRnAtIonAlly

Christina meeting with Australia’s Minister

for Women, Hon Kate Ellis


We submitted a Formal Communication

to the United Nations regarding the

ongoing practice of forced sterilisation

in Australia. Our submission was sent

simultaneously to four of the united

nations special Rapporteurs, mr. shuaib

Chalklen (special Rapporteur on Disability);

mr. Anand grover (special Rapporteur

on the Right to the highest Attainable

standard of Physical and mental health);

ms. Rashida manjoo (special Rapporteur

on violence against Women); and mr. Juan

e méndez (special Rapporteur on Torture

and Other Cruel, inhuman or Degrading

Treatment or Punishment). given the

relevance of this critical and urgent issue

to the special Rapporteurs’ respective

mandates, our submission requested

that they urgently intervene to urge the

Australian government to comply with the

recommendations of the Committee on

the elimination of Discrimination against

Women (July 2010), the Committee on

the Rights of the Child (October 2005),and

the un human Rights Council (January

2011) and act immediately to prohibit the

non-therapeutic and forced sterilisation

of women and girls with disabilities in

Australia. Our submission to the special

WHAt We DID to unDeRtAke SySteMIC ADVoCACy In SpeCIFIC AReAS oF ConCeRn to WoMen WItH DISABIlItIeS

Rapporteurs also asks for their help to

ensure that the Australian government

undertake a range of steps to enable

women with disabilities to realise their

right to health, their right to freedom

from violence, their rights to reproductive

freedom and to found a family, and

their right to freedom from torture or

cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment

or punishment. such steps include for

example: Provide redress to women

and girls with disabilities who have been

sterilised without their consent; Address

the cultural, social, and economic factors

that drive the sterilisation agenda; Assist

women and girls with disabilities and their

families and carers to access appropriate

reproductive health care.

We researched, developed and published

our major Policy Paper entitled ‘Assessing

the situation of women with disabilities

in Australia: A human rights approach’.

Our Policy Paper uses a human rights

framework to document the range of data,

research and information needed in order

to give a comprehensive assessment of

the situation of women with disabilities in

Australia. The need for this work to occur

has long been identified by women with

disabilities themselves and most recently,

identified by the CeDAW monitoring

committee as an area warranting urgent

and immediate attention by the Australian

government. using key articles from the

Convention on the Rights of Persons with

Disabilities (CRPD), the paper prescribes

the key quantitative and qualitative data

and research required under each article,

and links this to Australia’s international

human rights obligations and domestic

policy context. Our Policy Paper includes

a key recommendation to the Australian

government to act immediately to

commission and adequately resource a


comprehensive assessment and analysis

of the situation of women and girls with

disabilities in Australia.

We became an active member of the

Global Campaign to Stop Torture in

Health Care, an alliance of international

health and human rights organisations

working together to put an end to the

abuse of individuals in health settings.

The campaign is being co-ordinated

by the Open society foundations, an

international organisation which works

to build vibrant and tolerant democracies

whose governments are accountable to

their citizens. The Campaign is focusing

on three priority areas: forced sterilisation;

Detention as Treatment; and Denial of

Pain Relief. As part of the campaign, a

Working Group to Stop Forced/Coerced

Sterilization has been established. in

recognition of our work in this area, we

were invited to join the Working group and

are being represented on the group by

our executive Director Carolyn frohmader.

The aim of the Working group is to stop

forced and coerced sterilization in different

parts of the world and among different

populations. The members of the Working

group have come together online to share

information and strategies and collaborate

on advocacy as part of the Campaign to

stop Torture in health Care.

As a member of the international

Working group to stop forced/Coerced

sterilization, we played a key role in the

development of a draft Position Statement

on Sterilisation of Women and Girls with

Disabilities. This statement when finalised,

will be provided to the united nations

special Rapporteur on violence, and the

World health Organisation, to inform their

work on the issue. The Position statement

will give a background to and analysis

of the issue, consider the issue in the

context of the international human rights

framework, and set out key principles to

guide legislative and policy reform on the

issue.

We continued to work hard nationally

and internationally to raise awareness of

the issue of violence against women with

disabilities, in all its forms. Our advocacy

and lobbying work continued with a wide

range of stakeholders to ensure inclusion

of women with disabilities in violence

prevention frameworks, strategies and

initiatives. We contributed to the Australian

government’s Reform of Family Violence

Laws. We provided a Policy submission

in response to the Australian law Reform

Commission’s family violence and

Commonwealth laws (social security)

issues paper. We were represented on a

range of violence prevention advisory

structures, including the national violence

Against Women Advisory group (vAWAg),

the Australian Domestic and family

violence Clearinghouse Reference group,

the Queensland Centre for Domestic

and family violence Research (CDfvR),

the strengthening victim’s Rights ngO

implementation group (nsW), the

national Advisory Board 1800ResPeCT

(24hr national sexual Assault, Domestic

family violence Counselling service);

and the Australian Bureau of statistics

(ABs) Working Party for the national

safety survey. We continued to lobby the

Australian government for the inclusion of

women with disabilities in the membership

of the national implementation Panel for

the National Plan to Reduce Violence

Against Women and their Children. We

participated in a number of national,



state/territory meetings to progress the

implementation of the national Plan to

Reduce violence Against Women and their

Children, particularly the Plan’s ‘immediate

national initiatives’ specifically focused on


We developed a major funding application

to the Australian Government’s Gender

Equality For Women Program (Community

Action Grants). Our application is seeking

funding over three years to undertake a

national project which will: raise awareness,

and improve early identification of violence

against women with disabilities; provide

leadership opportunities for women with

disabilities in the prevention of violence;

and, build the capacity of domestic/family

violence and sexual assault services to

improve access and responses to services

for women with disabilities. Our proposed

project is consistent with the Australian

government’s commitment to fulfilling

its international human rights obligations,

particularly the Convention on the Rights

of People with Disabilities, the Concluding

Observations of the CeDAW 46th session,

and the recommendations of the human

Rights Council universal Periodic Review.

Our proposed project will contribute

directly to national Outcome 4 of the

national Plan to Reduce violence against

Women and their Children 2010–2022.

successful projects will be announced in

late 2011.

We provided a submission to the initial

stages of the UN Special Rapporteur

Research Study on intersectional and

multiple forms of Discrimination in the

Context of violence Against Women,

focusing on the specific issue of violence

against women with disabilities. We worked

collaboratively with the Disabled Women’s

network in Canada (DAWn) to develop

a proposal to conduct a Round Table on

violence Against Women with Disabilities

at the second International Conference

of Women’s Shelters, to be held in

Washington usA in 2012. The proposal was

accepted and WWDA will co-facilitate this

Round Table which will focus on the theme

of mainstreaming support for Women with

Disabilities in feminist Power structures

and Women’s shelters.

We continued to work collaboratively with

the Australian Human Rights Commission.


We met with the sex Discrimination

Commissioner (elizabeth Broderick) & the

Disability Discrimination Commissioner

(graeme innes) and their staff in sydney

to develop strategies for collaboration on

work to progress the issues of sterilisation

and violence against women and girls with

disabilities. We worked with Commissioner

Broderick to map current and future

activities against the priority areas of the

Commissions gender equality Blueprint.


We continued to produce our very popular

and highly successful quarterly newsletter

‘WWDA-News’. The newsletter is published

electronically in a range of formats,

disseminated by us directly to recipients

and also made available for download

on our Website. We also mailed out hard

copies to our members who do not have

access to email. WWDA-news is widely

distributed both within Australia and around

the world, and we continue to receive

positive feedback from the WWDA-news

readership. Over the past year, a number

of organisations have sought permission

to re-publish WWDA news articles in their

own publications. We featured a number

of WWDA member profiles in each issue,

along with personal stories from women

with disabilities on a wide range of issues.

We further developed and maintained

our extensive WWDA Website. google

Analytics provided the following data about

the WWDA website usage for the 12 month

period July 2010 – June 2011:

• Therewere82,219uniquevisitsto

the WWDA website. 83.69% of those

were new visitors to the site in the

12 month period.

WHAt We DID to BuIlD on ouR key Role In tHe pRoDuCtIon AnD DISSeMInAtIon oF InFoRMAtIon, puBlICAtIonS AnD ReSeARCH

• Theuserscamefrom189countries/

territories, using 94 languages. The

top ten countries were: Australia,

usA, india, Canada, ireland,

Philippines, new Zealand, Pakistan

and malaysia. Other users country

of origin included for example:

germany, france, kenya, Poland,

israel, uganda, China, and iran.

• 77.41%ofvisitorsweredirectedto

the site via search engines; 10.45%

were direct traffic; and 12.14% were

directed to the site from referring

sites. The most popular search terms

used were: WWDA; women with

disabilities Australia; sterilization;

wwda forced sterilisation un

convention; disability policy

Australia; violence against disabled

women; hate crimes against people

with disabilities.

• Thetenmostpopularpagesvisited

(in frequency order of visits) were:

1) home Page 2) Contents Page 3)

WWDA newsletter 4) sterilisation of

Women and girls with Disabilities 5)

WWDA submissions to government

6) Women With Disabilities and

family and Domestic violence

7) hate Crimes Against People

with Disabilities; 8) Australian

government Disability Policy 9)

Poems by Women with Disabilities

10) information & Referral Directory

- Alcohol and Drug services.

• Pagesonthesitewerevieweda

total of 129,288 times.

Our executive Director Carolyn frohmader,

in collaboration with WWDA members

Associate Professor helen meekosha

and Dr. leanne Dowse (university of

nsW), co-authored a chapter for the

book ‘Women and the Law in Australia’,

edited by Dr. Patricia easteal with the

governor general, her excellency ms.

Quentin Bryce, contributing the foreword.

Our chapter ‘Intersectionality: Disabled

Women’ examines some of the areas of

discrimination and exclusion that disabled

women experience in their encounters

with the law and the legal system –

focusing on access to justice and the

law; violence; sterilisation; motherhood

and parenting; employment; and criminal

justice. ‘Women and the law in Australia’

was launched by the governor general

in August 2010. Carolyn frohmader &


Associate Professor helen meekosha

also collaborated on a chapter for the

forthcoming book ‘Disability and Social

Theory’, edited by Dan goodley, Bill

hughes and lennard Davis, and to be

published in 2011 by Palgrave macmillan,

london.

We distributed our resource materials and

publications to a range of organisations

both within and outside Australia. We

granted permission for the Stars of Hope

Society for the Empowerment of Women

with Disabilities (Palestine) to translate

two key WWDA publications into Arabic.

The publications are: ‘Moving Forward:

Sterilisation and Reproductive Rights of

Women With Disabilities’ and ‘Taking the

Lead: A Leadership & Mentoring Resource

Kit for Women with Disabilities’.

We used our extensive database of

individuals, organisations and agencies

spanning a wide range of sectors, both

within and outside Australia, to disseminate

information of relevance to women with

disabilities and the broader community. Our

general, direct distribution database totals

more than 10,000 individuals, organisations

and other stakeholders throughout Australia

and overseas.

WHAt We DID to BuIlD on ouR key Role In tHe pRoDuCtIon AnD DISSeMInAtIon oF InFoRMAtIon, puBlICAtIonS AnD ReSeARCH


We used a wide range of opportunities to

develop new partnerships, networks, and

collaborative relationships. We worked hard

to raise the profile of our organisation and

raise awareness of the issues facing women

with disabilities. We were represented at/

on more than 75 forums, events, advisory

structures and other fora, covering a wide

range of portfolio and interest areas.

We were invited by the League of Welfare

Organisations for the Disabled [LWOD]

(Republic of China) to present a keynote

address at their international Conference,

held in Taipei 13-14 December 2010. We

were also invited to host and facilitate

a day long Leadership Workshop for

Women with Disabilities as an adjunct

to the Conference. sue salthouse, in her

role as WWDA President, represented

WWDA at this important Conference.

sue’s keynote address entitled ‘Time for

Change: An overview of women with

disabilities in Australia’ covered a range of

themes, including for example: disability

rights & WWDA; the status of women

with disabilities in Australia; gender

discrimination in Australia; disability

discrimination and women with disabilities;

WHAt We DID to DeVelop tHe InteRnAl AnD eXteRnAl opeRAtIonS oF WWDA

issues for women with disabilities in

Australia; and, WWDA & human rights

reporting. Presentations at the Conference

were in english, and Taiwanese, but with

instantaneous translation for those of the

participants who were not bi-lingual.

We gave a number of presentations to

Conferences covering a wide range of

issues. We gave the keynote address

‘Women With Disabilities & Human Rights’

at the Tasmanian Human Rights Forum in

hobart in December. We facilitated several

Workshops on Violence Against Women

with Disabilities, focusing on the themes of

strengthening Partnerships and improving

Access to violence services for Women

With Disabilities. We gave a keynote address

on ‘Gender and Disability’ at the South

Australian Symposium ‘inclusion matters:

gender and Disability in local and global

Contexts’, in October. We facilitated a

Workshop on ‘Sterilisation of Women and

Girls with Disabilities’ at the Expert Group

Meeting on using the Optional Protocol to

CeDAW to Address violations of Women’s

Rights in Australia. We presented a paper

‘For Pollyannas or Pessimists? – Gendering

the NDIS’ at the National Disability and

Carers Conference in Melbourne. We

facilitated the Inaugural RI Australia CRPD

Workshop ‘making the CRPD work’ in

sydney in november.

We continued our collaborative work

with the National Women’s Alliances,

particularly the equality Rights Alliance

(eRA) and the Australian Women Against

violence Alliance (AWAvA), which is

consistent with WWDA’s strategic Plan

policy priorities. Our members Christina

Ryan and karen mcQuigg represented

WWDA at eRA forums and meetings.

WWDA is represented on the AWAvA by

Annie Parkinson, and during the reporting

period, we have been involved in the

work to establish AWAvA. We continued

our collaborative role with the Australian

Federation of Disability Organisations

(AFDO). Our delegate to the AfDO

Board for the past two years, samantha

Jenkinson, completed her term in October

2010 and katharine Annear, selected as

our next nominee, was subsequently

elected to the AfDO Board for a two

year term. We worked with a number of

other international, national and state/

territory disability, women’s and human

Sue Salthouse with workshop participant

in Taiwan


rights organisations on issues of shared

concern, including for example: sterilisation

of minors, violence prevention, parenting

rights, human rights treaty reporting,

homelessness and housing, legal issues,

and much more.

in October 2010, we developed a new

membership Policy for the organisation.

We also developed a new Representation

Policy and Procedure, which incorporated

a WWDA Representative Register

Application. The Application enables our

members interested in being included

on WWDA’s Representatives Register,

to provide detailed information on their

representation support needs; travel/

accommodation needs; their areas of

interest, and their skills, knowledge and

experience that will assist when undertaking

representative work for WWDA. early in the

year, we conducted a Satisfaction Survey

of our members and stakeholders. Our

survey was intentionally brief and simple,

asking only four questions, designed to

elicit members’ views on the information

they receive from us; how we represent

the views of women with disabilities to

government; and their overall satisfaction

WHAt We DID to DeVelop tHe InteRnAl AnD eXteRnAl opeRAtIonS oF WWDA

Katharine Annear

with our performance as the national peak

organisation representing women with

disabilities in Australia. The response was

overwhelmingly supportive of our work and

the way in which we conduct our work.


We contributed to a significant number of

reviews and inquiries at both a national and

state/Territory level. We provided advice

to governments on policy, program and

service delivery issues emerging from our

membership, and advised governments

on the impact of social policy initiatives on


We undertook an extensive amount

of work to inform the Productivity

Commission’s Inquiry into a National

Disability Care and Support Scheme.

We conducted a South Australian

Women with Disabilities Forum, to

enable participants to have input to the

development of the national Disability

Care and support scheme. The forum

was a great success and resulted in an

additional positive outcome when the

women attending decided to combine

their abilities to explore the possibility of

forming a Women With Disabilities South

Australia (WWDSA) Network. in conjunction

with our victorian based affiliate, Women

With Disabilities victoria, we organised

and conducted a Victorian Women

with Disabilities Forum to focus on the

Productivity Commission’s Draft Report,

WHAt We DID to ContRIBute to goVeRnMent polICIeS AFFeCtIng WoMen WItH DISABIlItIeS

and to inform the drafting of a joint WWDA

& Women with Disabilities submission in

response to the Draft Report.

We worked collaboratively with our

Western Australian based affiliate Women

With Disabilities Western Australia

(WWDWA), to hold a Western Australian

Women with Disabilities Forum. This

forum was held to provide women with

disabilities with the opportunity to respond

to the Productivity Commission’s Draft

Report. We worked hard to promote the

Productivity Commission Public hearings

held in each state/Territory as part of the

inquiry. Our delegates represented the

organisation formally at both rounds of the

Productivity Commission hearings held in

Perth, sydney, Canberra and Adelaide. Our

delegates participated as both witnesses

and observers.

Participants at the South Australian Women With Disabilities Forum


We worked collaboratively with the

disability sector throughout the Productivity

Commission inquiry. During the first stage

of the Productivity Commission inquiry,

we were a member of a Working Party

established to develop a Policy framework

to assist the disability and independent

advocacy organisations in developing their

own submissions to the inquiry. following

the release of the Productivity Commission

Disability Care and support Draft Report,

we worked collaboratively with the

Consultant contracted by the Working

Party, to undertake a Human Rights Audit

of the recommendations of the Productivity

Commission Report, and develop a

submission to the Productivity Commission

from the organisations represented on the

Working Party.

During the term of the Productivity

Commission inquiry, we developed

both individual and joint submissions

to the inquiry. Our initial submission,

‘Gendering the National Disability Care

and Support Scheme’ focused on the

critical requirement to ensure that any

Disability Care & support scheme (DCss)

is gendered – consistent with Australia’s

international obligations to eliminate all

forms of discrimination against women

with disabilities; to ensure equality between

men with disabilities and women with

disabilities, and to respect, protect and

fulfill the human rights of women with

disabilities.

following the release of the Productivity

Commission’s Draft Report, and following

our Public forums for women with

disabilities, we developed a joint written

submission in conjunction with Women

With Disabilities victoria. The emphasis for

this submission was to investigate how to

ensure lived experiences which arise from

gender, with attention to the perspective

of women and girls in particular, are

considered in the development of the

national Disability insurance scheme

(nDis) and addressed in its implementation.

During the term of the inquiry, we

participated, both as presenters and as

delegates, in a number of conferences

and forums relating to the inquiry. We also

participated in a number of teleconferences

relating to the inquiry, including a

teleconference with Productivity

Commission inquiry Committee members.

We continued to provide input to the

senate Community Affairs Reference

Committee inquiry into planning options

and services for people ageing with a

disability. following on from our written

submission in mid-2010, we were invited by

the Senate Community Affairs Reference

Committee to appear as a witness at



its hearing in melbourne in november.

Our long time member (and past WWDA

president) margaret Cooper represented

the organisation at the hearing. margaret

spoke at length to our submission and

was also asked by the Committee to

forward them copies of specific research

mentioned by margaret, in particular the

uk/usA expert Patient Program, and usA

studies on menopause and osteoporosis.

Throughout the year we met with a

number of State, Territory and Federal

politicians to raise awareness of the

issues facing women with disabilities and

to provide advice on policy initiatives in

the context of gender and disability. for

example, we met in hobart, with senator

Jan mclucas, Parliamentary secretary

for People with Disabilities to discuss a

number of priority issues for women with

disabilities, including sterilisation, violence,

leadership and access to breast and cervical

cancer screening.


WWDA Member Margaret Cooper

Photo by Catherine Acin


www.wwda.or g .au

Financial statements for the year end 30 June 2011


This yeAR lAsT yeAR

InCoMe

General Income

Donations 8,370.45 5,764.69

interest Received 10,725.79 7,556.68

memberships 8,977.00 11,210.41

miscellaneous income 19.88 13.95

Consultancy 10,926.48 10,000.00

Reimbursed expenses 12,812.39 5,111.76

sitting fees 0 548.00

Total General Income 51,831.99 40,205.49

Grants Received

grants – fahCsiA Operational 162,547.00 162,366.00

fahCsiA face 2 face 0 16,450.00

fahCsiA Prod Com inq 0 30,000.00

Total Grants Received 162,547.00 208,816.00

Income from Sales

Publication sales 230.40 95.00

violence Resource manual 334.00 1,086.00

Total Income from Sales 564.40 1,181.00

Postage Reimbursed 67.50 0

total Income 215,010.89 250,202.49

pRoFIt & loSS [l ASt yeAR AnAlySIS] – InCoMe July 2010 tHRougH June 2011


This yeAR lAsT yeAR

eXpenSeS

Administration Expenses

Accommodation, meals etc 6,873.61 11,406.35

Accountancy & Audit fees 900.00 900.00

Bank Charges & govt Taxes 247.80 238.27

Bad Debts 0 421.36

Conference Registrations 127.27 1,709.10

Consultancy 16,153.75 5,400.00

Depreciation 3,195.77 1,759.79

Dissemination 1,299.03 0

electricity 2,041.61 1,736.19

insurance 3,557.01 3,580.44

internet 3,755.61 1,596.13

information Technology 3,745.66 2,164.95

membership fees 311.81 337.72

Office supplies & equipment 3,294.17 4,490.03

Postage & freight 1,258.72 2,216.40

Printing & Publication Design 6,375.65 9,306.25

Registrar general fees 34.00 33.00

Rental Costs 7,038.66 6,834.15

sitting fee & Report Writing 0 811.00

staff Welfare 340.00 0

subscriptions & Publications 398.32 525.57

sundry expenses 1,490.58 3,747.10

Taxi 2,139.71 4,556.92

Telephone & Teleconferences 3,613.38 3,848.73

Travel 32,699.88 18,076.55

Total Administration Expenses 100,892.00 85,696.00

pRoFIt & loSS [l ASt yeAR AnAlySIS] – eXpenSeSJuly 2010 tHRougH June 2011


This yeAR lAsT yeAR

eXpenSeS

Employees Expenses

leave Provision 9,194.54 8,836.06

lsl Provision 2,468.24 2,347.23

superannuation 10,864.79 10,406.13

Wages & salaries 112,990.22 109,428.80

Workers Compensation 786.36 659.28

Total Employee Expenses 136,304.15 131,677.50

total expenses 237,196.15 217,373.50

operating profit (22,185.26) 32,828.99

Other income

Other expenses

net profit / (loss) (22,185.26) 32,828.99

pRoFIt & loSS [l ASt yeAR AnAlySIS] – eXpenSeS (Cont.)July 2010 tHRougH June 2011


This yeAR lAsT yeAR

ASSetS

Current Assets

Cash On Hand

Operational Account 10,929.02 11,473.33

membership Account 12,125.54 8,751.92

BOs - leadership & Development 66,839.08 197,113.29

BOs - entitlements 46,790.64 44,483.64

BOs - Project funds 100,000.00 0

Petty Cash 142.75 34.90

Total Cash On Hand 236,827.03 261,857.08

Total Current Assets 236,827.03 261,857.08

Accounts Receivable 2,302.36 576.21

Fixed Assets

Furniture & Equipment

furniture & equipment At Cost 28,737.00 42,929.21

less furn & equip Accum Deprec (20,487.00) (35,284.00)

Total Furniture & Equipment 8,250.00 7,645.21

Total Fixed Assets 8,250.00 7,645.21

total Assets 247,379.39 270,078.50

BAl AnCe SHeet [l ASt yeAR AnAlySIS]June 2011


This yeAR lAsT yeAR

lIABIlItIeS

Current Liabilities

Accounts Payable 546.71 443.96

CBA Credit Card 0 67.34

Total Current Liabilities 546.71 511.30

Payroll Liabilities

PAyg Tax Payable 3,864.64 3,658.64

Prov for Annual leave 27,403.70 27,564.94

Prov for lsleave (Prorata) 19,386.94 16,918.70

Total Payroll Liabilities 50,655.28 48,142.28

GST Liability

gsT Collected from sales 3,706.43 6,643.62

gsT Paid on Purchases (2,627.66) (2,502.59)

Total GST Liability 1,078.77 4,141.03

total liabilities 52,280.76 52,794.61

net Assets 195,098.63 217,283.89

equIty

Members Equity

Retained earnings 117,283.89 184,454.90

Project funds 100,000.00 0

Current year earnings (22,185.26) 32,828.99

total equity 195,098.63 217,283.89

BAl AnCe SHeet [l ASt yeAR AnAlySIS] (Cont.)June 2011


NOTE 1: STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNT POLICIES

This financial report is a special purpose financial report prepared in order to satisfy the

reporting requirements of the Associates incorporations Regulations 1991 Australian

Capital Territory. The committee has determined that the association is not a reporting

entity.

The financial report has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the

Associates incorporations Regulations 1991 Australian Capital Territory and the following

Australian Accounting standards:

AAsB 1031 materiality

AAsB 110 events Occurring After Reporting Date

no other applicable Accounting standards, urgent issues group Consensus views or

other authoritative pronouncements of the Australian Accounting standard Board have

been applied.

The financial report has been prepared on an accruals basis and is based on historic costs

and does not take into account changing money values, or except where specifically

stated, current valuation of non-current assets.

The financial report has been prepared in accordance with a special purpose framework in

order to meet the needs of the associations members. As such, the financial report may

not be suitable for another purpose.

noteS to tHe FInAnCIAl StAteMentSFoR tHe yeAR enDeD 30 June 2011


The committee has determined that the association is not a reporting entity and that this

special purpose financial report should be prepared in accordance with the accounting

policies outlined in note 1 to the financial statements.

in the opinion of the committee, the attached financial report:

1. Presents a true and fair view of the financial position of the Women With

Disabilities Australia inc as at 30 June 2011 and its performance for the

period 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011;

2. At the date of this statement, there are reasonable grounds to believe that

Women With Disabilities Australia inc will be able to pay its debts as and

when they fall due.

This statement is made in accordance with a resolution of the Committee and is signed

for and behalf of the Committee by:

Dated at hobart this 31st day of July 2011

Auditors

Accru + steele Burnett & nelson Chartered Accountants

level 3, 6 Bayfield street, Rosny Park Tas. 7018

Ph: (03) 62445044

WoMen WItH DISABIlItIeS AuStRAlIA InC.oFFICeRS ASSeRtIon StAteMent


To the members of Women With Disabilities (Australia) Inc.

We have audited the accompanying financial report, being a special purpose report, of Women With Disabilities (Australia) inc., which comprises the statement of financial position as at 30th June 2011, the statement of financial performance for the year then ended, notes comprising a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory information, and the officers assertion statement.

Officers Responsibility for the Financial ReportThe officers of Women With Disabilities Australia inc. are responsible for the preparation of the financial report, and have determined that the basis of preparation described in note 1, is appropriate to meet the requirements of the Associates Incorporation Regulations 1991 (ACT) and is appropriate to meet the needs of the members. The officers’ responsibility also includes such internal control as the officers determine is necessary to enable the preparation of a financial report that is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

Auditor’s ResponsibilityOur responsibility is to express an opinion on the financial report based on our audit. We have conducted our audit in accordance with Australian Auditing standards. Those standards require that we comply with relevant ethical requirements relating to audit engagements and plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance whether the financial report is free from material misstatement.

An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial report. The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement

InDepenDent AuDItoR’S RepoRt

of the financial report, whether due to fraud or error. in making those risk assessments the auditor considers internal control relevant to the association’s preparation of the financial report that gives a true and fair view, in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the association’s internal control. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by the officers, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial report.

We believe the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.

Qualification As is common for organisations of this type, it is not practicable for Women With Disabilities (Australia) inc. to maintain an effective system of internal control over donations, fundraising and other income until their initial entry into the accounting records. Accordingly, our audit in relation to donations, fundraising and other income was limited to amounts recorded.

Qualified Opinion in our opinion, except for the effects of such adjustments, if any, as might have been determined to be necessary had the limitation discussed in the qualification paragraph not existed, the financial report presents fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Women With Disabilities (Australia) inc. as at 30th June 2011 and of its financial performance and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with the Associates incorporation Regulations 1991 (ACT).

Basis of Accounting and Restriction on DistributionWithout modifying our opinion, we draw attention

to note 1 to the financial report, which describes the basis of accounting. The financial report has been prepared for the purpose of fulfilling the officers financial reporting requirements under the Associates Incorporation Regulations 1991 (ACT) and as such may be unsuitable for another purpose.

The officers have determined that the financial report shall be prepared in accordance with a special purpose framework. As a result, the financial report may not be suitable for another purpose as only the accounting standards specifically stated in note 1 to the accounts have been applied in the preparation of this special purpose financial report.

As such, this report should not be distributed or used by parties other than Women with Disabilities Australia inc and its members.

Michael Burnett FCARegistered Company AuditorPARTNER, Accru+ HobartDated: 31st July 2010

Chartered Accountants & Business Adviserssydney + melbourne + BrisbanePerth + Adelaide + hobart + Auckland

level 3, 6 Bayfield street, Rosny Park Tas. 7018Ph: (03) 6244 5044 PO Box 28, Rosny Park TAs 7018www.accru.comAccru steele Burnett & nelson ABn 36 009 552 694 is an

autonomous and separately accountable member of Accru

and CPA Associates international inc


Program funding Recipient: Women With Disabilities (Australia) incorporatedType of funding: national secretariat ProgramProfit and loss statement for the period: 01/07/2010 to 30/06/2011

i have audited the final Acquittal Report and Profit and loss statement of the organisation for the period indicated and provided

answers to the following questions. Where a “no” answer is given i am providing an accompanying note to the certificate.

1. i have read the Conditions of Program funding under which payments have been made to the organisation by the Department of

families, housing, Community services and indigenous Affairs for the audited period.

yes

2. i am satisfied that all payments made to the organisation by the Department of families, housing, Community services and

indigenous Affairs in, or for, the audited period were spent for the agreed purpose(s) or, if not yet fully spent, have been accounted for

in the audited financial statements.

yes

3. i am satisfied that the organisation observed all Conditions of Program funding relating to the organisations audited financial

statements.

yes

4. There were no other matters of a material nature that came to my attention, other than those noted in my audit report. yes

name of engagement Partner: michael Burnett

signature of engagement Partner:

name of Audit firm: Accru+ steele Burnett & nelson

Address: level 3, 6 Bayfield street, Rosny Park TAs 7018

Telephone no: (03) 62 445 044

fax no: (03) 62 447 319

Date: 31st July 2011

DepARtMent oF FAMIlIeS, HouSIng, CoMMunIt y SeRVICeS AnD InDIgenouS AFFAIRS AuDit CeRtiFiCAte


AppenDIX 1 FeeDBACk

i am mORe than satisfied with the information i get from WWDA. it is in fact the Only source on ongoing updated relevant comprehensive information on issues that affect people with disabilities (especially women) that i know of or ever access. As a worker, it enables me to pass on the best information to the over 300 families i work with. i know there may be other information on the internet that would be useful, but i never have time to search and access this information. WWDA on the other hand, does this work for me, and then puts all important information and relevant updates in a neat highly accessible and reader friendly format for me and sends it to me. in addition, being on the WWDA email group, gives me an incredibly valuable link to all sorts of people in the field across the country, which i would definitely not have anywhere else! (Tashe Long)

This peak support and advocacy body provides excellent top quality information on a very diverse list of disability topics. keeps me well informed and able to be proactive. This enables me not only able to help myself, but also to pass on this assistance to others. (WWDA Discuss Subscriber)

WWDA is the only national organisation which fully represents the needs and rights of women living with disability in this country. (Glenda Lee)

WWDA’s newsletters are informative and provide topical detailed information of the work WWDA does. for a small organisation, with only two paid staff, the output of WWDA is very impressive. it is detailed. (Gemma Namey)

We are very impressed with the calibre of information (and the amount of it) we receive from WWDA. And it is good to know that you are managed by volunteer women with disabilities. (Illawarra Women’s Health Centre)

it is because of WWDA that our views are being heard and actions taken. (Lina Pane)

i highly regard the research, comment and issues that are covered in WWDA publications - i believe it’s one of the most impressive advocacy groups that is proactive with communicating and has great integrity. (Ruth Paillas)


PWD Australia recognises the critical importance of WWDA as the only national representative organisation for women with disability. They play a significant representation role in the disability sector and the women’s sector and are key to putting issues for women with disability on the agenda of many government and non-government organisations. WWDA has limited resources, but successfully manages to engage in key issues nationally and internationally to bring the voice of women with disability ‘to the table’. We are keenly aware that WWDA has a strong reputation for its work at the international level, and is sought after for its information and views. (People with Disability Australia)

i am glad that there is such an organisation for without it there may be more discrimination and prejudice. The comradeship and just feeling like i belong to this organisation is so important and feeling that my opinion or experience matters, is so important for a lot of Women with a disability. (Marrette Corby)

The work WWDA does, representing disability issues with a gender perspective, is important work. At a national level, i do not know of any other organisation who does this work. WDDA does this work to a high standard, consulting, informing and researching to do quality systemic advocacy. (Women With Disabilities Victoria)

for someone like me who lives in regional Australia, WWDA provides a link to what is happening when it is happening. (Madge Sceriha)

WWDA does an excellent job in representing the views of women with disabilities to government. i have read the submissions WWDA has prepared and they are of a consistently high quality, well researched and clearly presented. (Darwin Community Legal Service)

i don’t know how they do it with the resources they have, but they are very resourceful and strong, and very comprehensive in putting the case of women with disabilities in Australia. (Rosemary Akesson)

i am proud to be a member of this organization and i am thrilled at their performance nationally and internationally. i have been a member for 14 years (perhaps longer) so i have the length of membership to be able to make this assessment. Women at a grass roots level are given valid, useful information to enhance their everyday safety and wellbeing, and this aspect as part of their organization is similarly invaluable. Respect continues to be the underpinning protocol for all processes undertaken by WWDA. (Donna Justo)

i like the conversations ‘we’ have on-line, everyone is caring, thoughtful and helpful. WWDA takes away the isolation which women with disability can feel by including them. (Meriel Stanger)

i think WWDA does an excellent job of representing the views of women with disabilities to government. i find the representation relevant, authentic and dignified. (Shirley O’Toole)

AppenDIX 1 FeeDBACk

i am extremely satisfied with the information i receive from WWDA. i appreciate enormously the energy, effort and intellectual rigour which is always reflected in your work. To comprehensively cover the broad range of disabilities and the subsequent needs experienced by women with disabilities across Australia is an enormous task and you have my deepest appreciation for your efforts. (Derris Vernon)

WWDA has over time been a great source of information to use through email contact and great resources. WWDA embarks upon respectful and inclusive processes to engage with a diversity of women and ensure their voices are heard. (Gold Coast Centre Against Sexual Violence Inc.)

WWDA is a strong, committed and informed advocate in their representative role. (Domestic Violence Crisis Service)


WWDA is brilliant - information well ahead of much of the disability sector, and really well organised to represent women with disabilities. WWDA puts out an enormous amount of work for such an under-funded organisation but is hugely respected because of it. The women who run it are compassionate, dedicated, and inspiring. What would we do without you? (Karen McQuigg)

i feel very proud to be a WWDA member. (Val Pawagi)

The work that your agency has assisted us in understanding issues that women face. it has also put many issues such as family violence for women with disabilities at the fore front of many organisations planning processes. for example our legal service is connected to local family violence network and convened by local council moreland. Disability issues for women and family violence have now become a strategy for that council to improve on. This would not have been possible without the efforts of your organisation. (Moreland Community Legal Centre)

WWDA is one of our first points of reference when seeking information about issues related to women with disabilities. WWDA also keeps us informed of key national issues such as the recent legislation regarding adjustable beds in gP offices. (Queensland Women’s Health Network Inc)

for international Disability Alliance (iDA) as an international advocacy organisation, it is very useful to be in communication with an organisation like WWDA that does pioneering work in so many areas that are relevant for women with disabilities. There are not so many organisations like WWDA in other countries and your expert work is a very valuable input to the work that iDA does internationally when it comes to prepare position paper and do advocacy work that is either specific to women with disabilities or where the issues of women with disabilities require special attention. many thanks for your good work which we hope you will be able to continue as effectively as until now. (Stefan Trömel, Executive Director)

i think that as a body, representing women with a disability, that you do an amazing job!! This commitment begins at the top- and flows through to the volunteers. so - well done! Awesome stuff!!!! (Linda Hanlon)

i am impressed with the organisation advocating and agitating for change on issues concerning women with disabilities. Particularly your latest work on sterilisation and issues concerning violence and sexual abuse. (Australian Centre for the study of sexual Assault (ACSSA)

WWDA’s performance as the national peak body is excellent. (Catholic Women’s League Australia)

WWDA does a brilliant job of representing the women’s disability sector, and keeping the wider community informed about issues and concerns for women with disabilities in Australia, and internationally. it is amazing what WWDA does with a tiny amount of funding, and how many organisations and peak bodies it has connections with, and how effectively it works. in any review of WWDA its funding should be increased. (Anne Morris)

AppenDIX 1 FeeDBACk

What a great organisation - respected across Australia and the Pacific for their work on issues about women with disabilities. (Australia Pacific Islands Disability Support)

We commend WWDA on its fine research and presentation of issues affecting a particularly vulnerable group in our society. no other organisation provides such a voice for this group and we strongly support its continued funding. (Disability Discrimination Legal Service)

Congratulations! What a great outcome for our advocacy for women with disability! Thanks for stand-alone WWDA submission and Christina’s work with un Committee! very exciting. (Therese Sands, PWDA)

Thanks to the great work and efforts of Women with Disabilities Australia, which attended the CeDAW Committee meeting in new york, a strong Concluding Observation came out with a particular focus on women with disabilities. (International Disability Alliance (IDA) News Bulletin, September 2010)


i would like to congratulate and commend Women With Disabilities Australia for being represented on the world stage at the recent CeDAW monitoring Committee in the usA, and encourage you to continue this significant work…. (Hon Lisa Neville, Minister for Community Services, Victoria)

Congratulations to all concerned on successfully raising these issues with the CeDAW monitoring Committee. This is testament to the work that WWDA does and is admired for globally. i am looking forward to highlighting this achievement and the work of WWDA at the gender Development and Disability institute at the 5th Women’s institute on leadership and Disability in eugene, Oregon. (Katharine Annear, SA)

This is a fantastic outcome for women with disabilities in Australia thanks to Carolyn and to Christina for your excellent representation on the delegation. (Keran Howe, Victorian Women with Disabilities Network)

This is fantastic news for WWDA for all their hard work and also terrific kudos to Christine - her reporting from new york was enlightening as to the complexity of the process and inspirational. Congratulations just doesn’t cover my gratitude! (Laine)

i congratulate you on your continued advocacy on behalf of women with disabilities in Australia. (Hon Lara Giddings, Acting Premier, Tasmania)

Congratulations! i am so pleased to see all of your hard work on behalf of all of us disabled women, rewarded with such wonderful results. (Lorri Mackness, New Zealand Network of Stopping Violence Services)

i commend WWDA for its involvement in preparing the community sector shadow report. i also congratulate your organisation for its achievement in preparing, for the first time, an individual shadow report specifically focused on women with disabilities. The shadow reports, in addition to your other advocacy work, play a vital role in helping to ensure that CeDAW is monitored and implemented effectively, and that the needs of women with disabilities are acknowledged within the community. (Hon Jodi McKay, Minister for Women, NSW)

WWDA is the only ngO supporting disability that i have faith in. (Jo-Ann Partridge)

great to see all the amazing work that is coming out of WWDA – always inspiring! (Bonnie L. Brayton, Executive Director, DisAbled Women’s Network (DAWN) Canada

WWDA’s development & achievements continue to amaze and delight me. (Kate Lamb)

AppenDIX 1 FeeDBACk

Congratulations for WWDA - tremendous efforts to have this need recognised and implemented. your efforts are commendable and to be emulated by all of us. (Vivi Germanos-Koutsounadis, Chair NIRWA/AIRWA)

This is wonderful news! Congratulations on a great outcome and thanks to you, your colleagues and associates for the hard work you have all put into this undertaking. (Jane Browne Eacott, Chair, Foundation for Social Inclusion Inc.)


Disability Care & support Workshop with the Australian human Rights Commission

long Term Disability Care & support Public hearing - Canberra

un CeDAW hearing

long Term Disability Care & support Public hearing - sydney

long Term Disability Care & support Public hearing - Perth

Department for families and Communities family violence strategic Plan steering group

electoral forum - Women Only

melbourne CeDAW Planning Workshop

Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Commissioner meeting

Adelaide social inclusion Board Consultation

sydney CeDAW Planning Workshop

sexual Discrimination unit meeting

Dinah samarasan forum at the AhRC

Draft 10 year Plan for supporting Queenslanders with a Disability forum

setting Our Agenda, Women’s health Policy forum

Adelaide symposium

Adelaide WWD lunch & Productivity Commission inquiry gathering

55th session of the Commission on the status of Women (CsW 55)

meeting with martine Abel from new Zealand

1 in 5 Parliamentary Breakfast

national Disability Awards

inAuguRAl Ri Australia CRPD WORkshOP

senate Community Affairs Committee-Public hearing

ABs Pss survey Advisory group (sAg) meeting

migrant resource Centre of sA 2010 Agm

launch of Accommodating violence Report, PWD Australia inc

guest speaker Tasmanian human Rights Awards

AppenDIX 2 WWDA RepReSentAtIon 2010-2011


AppenDIX 2 WWDA RepReSentAtIon 2010-2011 (Cont.)

senator Jan mclucas meeting

Preparatory meeting for the universal Periodic Review

The league of Welfare Organisations for the Disabled Conference - Taipei

inaugural meeting of Australian Women Against violence Alliance (AWAvA)

meeting with fiona mort - Office for Women

launch of national Action Plan to Reduce violence Against Women & their Children 2010-2022

DeeWR Disability employment standards

Disability and Development Conference

seminar - Doing Advocacy smarter: collaboration between the movement and researchers

Radio interview Radio 6eba fm ethnic Ability Program with Zel iscel

international Women’s Day Breakfast

international Women’s Day Reception with the governor-general

international Women’s Day forum with kate ellis

Joint submission Productivity Commission meeting

Radio interview Radio 6eba fm history of WWDA and human Rights

AfDO members meeting

follow-up meeting for Australia’s first universal Periodic Review (uPR)

Radio interview Canberra ABC local Radio with genevieve Jacobs

Dr iva strnadova lecture - Well Being of Women with intellectual Disabilities

ACOss national Conference

seminar: “using the uPR to improve human Rights in Australia”

human Rights Commission meetings

CsW 55 Debrief Roundtable

meet the Board of un Women

nDis Draft Report Public hearing

nDis melbourne forum

international symposium - stopping the abuse and neglect of people with intellectual disability


nDis Adelaide forum

nDis Draft Report Public hearing

nDis Perth forum

national Disability and Carer Conference

Access to Premises standards launch

AeC Disability Advisory Committee meeting

launch of the national Plan to Reduce violence Against Women & their Children

Telstra Disability forum

Women’s Budget statement Briefing 2011-12

Alliances meeting

Australian Women Against violence Alliance

Centrelink Working group - delivery service for people with an intellectual disability

Women with Disabilities Accessing Crisis services Workshop

fahCsiA funding Workshop

Women with Disabilities Accessing Crisis services Workshop

eRA members meeting

multicultural Women’s Association launch

Australian government and non-government Organisations forum on human Rights

Dhs family violence strategy Teleconference

national human Rights Action Plan - ngO Workshop

AppenDIX 2 WWDA RepReSentAtIon 2010-2011 (Cont.)


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