Events

Looking back at IDPwD celebrations in 2011

Each year hundreds of events are held around the country to celebrate International Day of People with a Disability (IDPwD), and 2011 was no different, with more than 700 events staged to raise awareness throughout the community.

Playability was one such event, held at Livvi’s Place playground at Timbrell Park in Five Dock, New South Wales. The free, family-fun day was hosted by the Touched by Olivia Foundation and Children with Disability Australia, and included live entertainment, face painting, jumping castles and a petting zoo. The Livvi’s Place Inclusive Playground in Five Dock is an initiative of the Touched by Olivia Foundation and was the first all-abilities playground for children in Australia. There are now Livvi’s Place Playgrounds in Campbelltown, Dubbo and Brisbane. Speaking at the event, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers Jan McLucas announced the Australian Government’s commitment to provide $50,000 to support the building of more Livvi’s Place playgrounds around the country.

In Western Australia, Dreamfit Foundation hosted their inaugural dreamDAY community festival at McCallum Park, Victoria Park. The Dreamfit Foundation develops engineering solutions to give people with disabilities the opportunity to participate in activities that they once could have only dreamed of. dreamDAY is a day for the whole community to come together to celebrate inclusion and the contribution that innovative engineering can make to the lives of people with disabilities. More than 500 people made their way to Perth’s foreshore take part in the day’s activities and entertainment, including rides in accessible ski boats, hovercraft and all-terrain vehicles, a wheel chair obstacle course, putt-putt golf, archery and fishing.

Back on the East Coast, Technical Aid to the Disabled ACT (TADACT) held a five kilometre walk around Canberra’s Lake Burley Griffin on both Friday 2 and Saturday 3 December. More than 100 people participated in Walk the Loop to fundraise for the Canberra charity and raise awareness of IDPwD. TADACT provides assistance to people with disability or the elderly by custom building or modifying equipment and technical aids for improved mobility.

Event registration for IDPwD 2012 opens on 1 July so keep an eye on the website! Event organisers will receive IDPwD promotional material for distribution on the day and have their event featured on the IDPwD website, so get involved and join in the fun!