Australian Federation of Disability Organisations

In October this year, AFDO will hold its first conference. This will be an extremely exciting event and the organisation is well underway. Samantha Jenkinson, Frank Hall-Bentick and I make up the Conference organising committee but there will be times when we will require extra support from the Board and members as the year goes on and the conference gets closer.

What I can confirm is the Conference is to be held on the 9 & 10 October at the Telstra Dome here in Melbourne so mark that in your diary. Titled “Policy About Us, For Us”! A Practical Revolution in the Lives of People with Disabilities, we are looking forward to staging a very contemporary and relevant conference program. Look out for information as it comes to hand over the next few months. As one of our members put it during our members meeting, let’s make sure the conference has some “ZING” so that I think will become the unofficial conference motto.

We are very excited about holding our first conference as we see it as the first national conference on disability policy and direction since the International Year of People with Disabilities in 1982. The theme of the conference will encompass the philosophy of Social Inclusion but will have a practical edge on how we move forward.