Previous Recipients and Finalists
2008 National Disability Award Recipients
The 2008 National Disability Award categories were:
Go Getter Award: Young person, aged between 12 and 25 years, who has made a significant contribution to improving the lives of people with disability.
Young Community Contribution Award: Young person, aged between 12 and 25 years, with disability who has made a significant contribution to their community.
Community Contribution Award: Person with disability who has made a significant contribution to their community.
Inclusion Award: Person who has made a significant contribution to improving the lives of people with disability.
Personal Achievement Award: Person, either with disability or caring for someone with disability, who has overcome adversity to achieve personal goals.
2008 Award Recipients
Ms Amethyst Barnbrook
Ms Sarah Cullen
Mr Bill Bradley
Ms Katherine Fisher
Ms Anne McDonald
Ms Amethyst Barnbrook - Go Getter Award
At only 19 years of age, Amethyst is an accomplished sportswoman and musician who is living proof that people with the most challenging disabilities can achieve at the highest level.
While requiring assistance in almost every aspect of her life, Amethyst uses her three toes for writing, sailing and playing the trumpet. She is determined to live as normal a life as possible.
In 2007 Amethyst began living independently while attending Wollongong University. She obtained a sport scholarship and is currently studying for a Bachelor of Creative Arts Degree, majoring in Sound, Composition and Music Production. She is a high academic achiever and her talent for music has taken her as far as Japan to play with the Yamaha Youth Orchestra.
As a competitive sailor, Amethyst has proved that people with severe disability can participate in sport at an elite level. Her determination to sail in the Paralympics was the motivating factor for the Access Dinghy Foundation launching a campaign to allow people with profound disability to compete at the highest level. Amethyst is training hard to qualify for the 2012 London Paralympic Games after coming 4th at the World SKUD titles in Singapore in 2008.
Ms Sarah Cullen - Young Community Contribution Award
At only 24 years of age Sarah has contributed more to her community than most people twice her age. Despite having a combination of physical, sensory and cognitive difficulties resulting from two strokes, Sarah has completed a Bachelor of Speech and Hearing Sciences and is now very engaged in community work. Sarah dedicates much of her time to improving the lives of stroke survivors in New South Wales.
Sarah is an active and respected advocate for stroke survivors who are discharged from New South Wales hospitals. Over the past two years she has become an accomplished public speaker and uses her talents to ensure that stroke service providers in New South Wales are aware of the needs of stroke survivors and carers in their community. She has spoken at a number of stroke management and transition care conferences where she relates her experiences as a young consumer of adult health care services.
Sarah also uses her personal experiences to assist the Greater Metropolitan Clinical Taskforce to develop methods of supporting young people who are transitioning from paediatric to adult health care services.
In association with the Stroke Recovery Association of NSW, Sarah has recently launched 'Different Strokes', a stroke recovery club that provides support for very young stroke survivors and their carers.
As well as her work with stroke survivors, Sarah also volunteers her time to help newly arrived refugees integrate into the community. She not only teaches these refugees to use English but develops and adapts each lesson to suit the learning needs of each person in the group.
Mr Bill Bradley - Community Contribution Award
At the age of 14, Bill, an avid sportsman, contracted polio and his dreams of competing in the Olympic Games were shattered. No longer able to compete in sports himself, he turned his attention to sports administration with the goal of helping others. In 1955 Bill established the famous Belrose Rugby League Club where he has fostered the talents of many young people, helping them focus on what they can achieve, rather than what they can't.
Bill's passion and determination in supporting the involvement of young people in sport, particularly those from disadvantaged or marginalised backgrounds, has led him to contribute to sport at local, state and national levels. In particular, Bill has volunteered an innumerable amount of his time and services to support wheelchair sports in Australia and across the world.
Bill is a keen lawn bowler and among his many achievements he has won the International Paralympic Committee's World Bowls Championship in 1998.
At the age of 70, Bill took up sailing and was placed 7th at the World Single Persons Liberty Boat Championship in 2005.
Bill is an outstanding role model and has made substantial contributions to his community through his inspirational sports leadership and mentoring roles. His inspirational leadership has helped to turn around the lives of hundreds of people, over many decades.
Ms Katherine Fisher - Inclusion Award
Katherine is an exemplary teacher who has dedicated 24 years to supporting students with disability, learning difficulties and students at risk. Through her belief in the capacity of these students to be successful both at school and in life, she has often enabled them to achieve beyond their expectations.
As a Special Education Coordinator at Aberfoyle Park High School in South Australia, Katherine has developed and expanded inclusive educational opportunities through a range of new initiatives. She has worked to develop a more inclusive culture throughout the school, challenging perceptions of what students with disability can achieve. Katherine has been the key figure in promoting change to the school's curriculum, policies and assessment methods. She has encouraged professional development, created resources and modelled good practice.
Through a tailored academic support program, coupled with leadership, adventure and social activities, Katherine helps her students move beyond limiting stereotypes. Her work has raised the profile of the school to the point where enrolments of students with disability have doubled.
Katherine has made a vital contribution to the lives of young people with disability. Recently she has completed a Graduate Certificate in Inclusive Education to ensure that her skills are at the very forefront of her vocation.
Ms Anne McDonald - Personal Achievement Award
Anne McDonald was born with severe cerebral palsy. At the age of three she was admitted to the St Nicholas Hospital, a state institution for children diagnosed as severely retarded. She was unable to walk, talk or feed herself. Over the next thirteen years Anne received no therapy, no education and very little food.
Eventually, with the aid of Rosemary Crossley, Anne learned to communicate by pointing to letters on an alphabet board to spell sentences. When she turned eighteen Anne went to court to win her freedom from St Nicholas.
After leaving the institution Anne wrote a bestselling book with Rosemary Crossley called Annie's Coming Out, later made into an award winning Australian movie. Anne went to university and eventually graduated with a Humanities degree. Anne was one of the first people with severe cerebral palsy and no speech to obtain a university degree in Australia.
Anne has dedicated her life to advocating for the rights of people who can not talk. She is a pioneer in the field of disability rights and has courageously taken on landmark legal battles that have changed the face of disability legislation both in Victoria and across Australia.
Anne has published articles and given presentations at conferences around the world on topics such as the Right to Communicate, Disability and Ageing and most recently Judging by Appearances. Her popular website now provides online resources on the trials of people with communication disability.
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Approximately 240 nominations were received for the 2008 National Disability Awards, out of which 15 finalists were selected. The 15 finalists were spread across five award categories.
The 2008 National Disability Award finalists are:
Go Getter Award
• Glenn Corbett
• Amethyst Barnbrook (2008 recipient)
Young Community Contribution Award
• Sam Broughton
• Ping Lian Yeak
• Sarah Cullen (2008 recipient)
Community Contribution Award
• Greg Killeen
• Bobbie Blackson
• Bill Bradley (2008 recipient)
• Mark Bagshaw
Inclusion Award
• Katherine Fisher (2008 recipient)
• Sarah Barton
• Alan Robertson
• Pat Rix
Personal Achievement Award
• Janice Daisley
• Anne McDonald (2008 recipient)
Congratulations to the 2008 finalists!
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The independent judges of the 2008 awards were:
- Samantha Jenkinson
- Dr Ken Baker
- Dr Rhonda Galbally AO
