Australian Federation of Disability Organisations

The Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO) celebrated its second year of operation as Australia’s foremost voice for people with disability as a new executive was appointed following its annual general meeting on Wednesday 21 November 2006.

As the primary national voice to Government fully representing the interests of people with a disability across Australia AFDO has been involved in consultations and briefings on a range of issues including income support, transport, access to premises, welfare reform and the provision of services to people with a disability.

"AFDO has had time in the last two years to consolidate its position as the peak organisation representing people with a disability in Australia" said new AFDO Chair Samantha Jenkinson. "We will continue to ensure that those issues which are preventing people with a disability from participating as full citizens in Australia are relayed to Government and the community, and that every opportunity for action and change is taken."

The AFDO executives are:

Chairperson
Samantha Jenkinson: nominated by Women with Disabilities Australia

Deputy Chairs
Robert Altamore: nominated by Blind Citizens Australia
Graham Douglas-Meyer: nominated by National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS.

Treasurer
Kyle Miers: nominated by Australian Association of the Deaf.

Other Directors of the board are:
Glenda Lee: nominated by Physical Disability Council of Australia.
Heather Forsyth: nominated by National Council on Intellectual Disability.
Janet Maegher: nominated by the Australian Mental Health Consumer Network.
Kaye Gooch: nominated by Deafness Forum Australia.
Tony Vardaro: nominated by National Ethnic Disability Alliance.
Ria Strong: nominated by Brain Injury Australia.
Frank Hall-Bentick: nominated by the Disability Resources Centre in Victoria (State Member Representative).

Retiring from the board at the AGM are the inaugural Chairperson
Maurice Corcoran and board director Ruth Fotheringham. Both of whom will be sorely missed.

The 2005-2006 AFDO Annual Report is available in Word and PDF formats from here.