Kids+ announce details of Changemakers Conference

A LOCAL conference to be held in Torquay next month is being labelled “a must” for anyone with an interest in disability activism or advocacy.

Kids+ committee member Sharon Gibbons said the inaugural Changemakers conference, hosted in 2021 by the Geelong-based allied health service provider, was well-received despite it being hindered by COVID-19 restrictions.

“We have been spurred on by this feedback to deliver another event where we come together to create, inspire, and drive change,” Ms Gibbons said.

This year’s conference is on March 23-24, at RACV Resort, Torquay and has a focus on the disability sector while also catering to those who are passionate about disability leadership and change management, participation in sport, employment, decision making, therapy innovation, and change identified by those with lived experience.

Over the two days, there will be a mix of international disability activists, including Judy Heumann (Obama and Clinton Administrations), local and international clinicians, those with lived experience, families, and support workers of people with disability, and the latest in technology innovation.

“The Changemakers Conference provides an opportunity for the sector to reimagine what’s possible in the provision of allied health services,” Ms Gibbons added.

“The conference, and the content presented, is designed to expose new and emerging ideas, all with the intent of providing the spark for participants, professionals, and providers to consider how they might do things differently and better.

“The biggest takeaway is that change is possible, but it’s our responsibility to create and drive it.”

Ms Heumann, said ‘The Mother of Disability Rights’, will open the two-day conference as the keynote speaker.

An internationally recognised disability activist, Ms Heumann played a key role in the emergence of disability rights in the US and served on the Obama and Clinton administrations.

Ms Gibbons reiterated the conference program pushes the idea that anyone can become a “Changemaker”.

“All presentations and presenters sit equally alongside the other,” she said.

“Some have international reputations and are considered absolute experts in their field, others are working at the local level and their insights and ideas have been shaped by day-to-day practice, to those with lived experience of disability and who know best of all what change looks like, why it’s important, and what it might take for it to occur.

“We want people to leave feeling like they have a broader understanding of the bigger picture, equipped with perspective to bring change to their everyday lives, but most importantly, to inspire change in others.

“We want to power of change to radiate far beyond Torquay.”

To find out more about the Changemakers Conference, head to www.kidsplus.org.au/changemakers

Group discount and student concession rates available.