Inaugural disability fair to be held on the Bellarine

GEELONG Regional Libraries has partnered with MatchWorks for the inaugural Bellarine Disability Fair, to be held next week.

More than 10 local organisations will come together at the Leopold Library to discuss the different types of disability services available and what they offer.

Attendees will be able to ask questions of the organisations and is an opportunity for them to learn more about the different options available to them.

The free event will include Harvey the therapy dog and representatives from Bellarine Living and Learning Centre, genU, In Place, The Inclusion Way, NDIS and more.

“We are proud to partner with Matchworks for this event, focusing on bringing community partners together in one place,” Geelong Regional Libraries’ chief executive Vanessa Schernickau said.

The fair will also include two panel discussions. The first runs from 10.30am until 11.30am and talks about navigating NDIS, featuring Local Area Coordinator Deb Cairns.

The second discussion is a joint panel focused on local life-long learning opportunities, and will include representatives from gen U, Bellarine Living and Learning and Geelong Regional Libraries.

MatchWorks East Geelong site manager Dawn Brown said this is the first time his organisation had done an event such as this locally and they were excited to be partnering with Geelong Regional Libraries. “Partnering with Geelong Regional Libraries helps us increase visibility of services for the Bellarine community and will improve access for people with disability to the right services.”

The Chatty Café is also upstairs at the library where attendees can get a coffee and cake for $5.

The fair will run on Wednesday, July 31 from 10am until 2pm. Accessible parking, bathrooms and a hearing loop are also available.

To ask about using the space on the day, phone the Leopold Library ahead of time on 4201 0675.

For more information about the event, head to events.grlc.vic.gov.au