Local hub driving inclusion

EACH month a group of local women and gender diverse people with disability meet to discuss their experiences and the barriers that impact them.

They share challenges and together find solutions. Advocating for change – big and small.

Fostering a strong sense of identity and safety in belonging facilitation that is locally focused and peer-led is paramount.

Teagan Mitchell, a Geelong-based woman with disability is the Barwon Hub’s liaison officer.

For her the collaborative and supportive feeling within the group is instant, buoyed by a rotating guest list of leaders and advocates from the region.

“Imagine you finally walk into a room where others feel the same way you do,” Mitchell said. “That is what a hub meeting is like.

“We talk about the things that others may not understand, as the way us disabled folk experience life can be much more challenging and require more adaptions. We bring in people who can empower us to be the best version of ourselves.

“Women and gender diverse people with disabilities have a unique perspective. Members come along to grow themselves, to explore how they can develop personal power and be around like-minded others who understand.”

Women with Disabilities Victoria (WDV) supports several hubs around regional Victoria, along with a newly launched online model.

Active for over a decade, the Barwon Hub has become an essential part of the lives of its members and continues to evolve alongside changing systems and an increasingly challenging social climate. “Geelong is one of the fastest growing cities in Victoria, and women and gender diverse people with disabilities here face unique barriers in areas like housing, transport, access to services and infrastructure,” WDV leadership hub coordinator, Felicity Antony, said.

As another passionate Geelong resident, she explains: “Being locally present ensures regional voices directly shape statewide advocacy and policy. It also demonstrates a genuine commitment to representing and investing in the whole state, not just metropolitan communities.

“WDV are serious about inclusion, accessibility and safety for women and gender diverse people with disabilities, and that means ensuring leadership is embedded in communities where change is happening in real time.”

Through the Barwon Leadership Hub local organisations, community groups, services and advocates can work together rather than in silos. By building partnerships across sectors, WDV strengthens the whole ecosystem, ensuring women and gender diverse people with disabilities are not an afterthought, but central to planning and decision-making.

“Sustainability is also key,” Antony said. “Real inclusion and violence prevention work cannot be short-term or project-based; it requires long-term relationships, shared leadership and locally embedded expertise. “Continued support from Geelong helps secure that stability, grow local capability and ensure the work remains responsive to community needs over time.

“When Geelong backs the hub, it’s investing not just in a program, but in a collaborative, sustainable model that benefits the entire region.”

The Barwon Hub meets on the third Wednesday of every month from 1pm–3pm, while the Online Hub meets fortnightly on Wednesday from 6.30pm–7.30pm.

For more information contact [email protected]

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