LGBTQIA+ People with Disability Leading Inclusion
People with Disability Australia (PWDA) is excited to launch the Community Attitudes project, delivering a national awareness and education program to promote the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people with disability in workplaces and communities. This project received funding from the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
A PWDA 2025 national survey highlighted the realities, barriers, strengths and priorities of LGBTQIA+ people with disability across Australia. Respondents described exclusion, discrimination and inaccessible environments, while also highlighting the importance of peer support, community care and accessible spaces for participation. Community Attitudes responds to these findings by providing education, resources and opportunities to build understanding, challenge misconceptions and create more accessible and inclusive workplaces and communities.
The project will be delivered throughout 2026, featuring e-learning modules, information and training webinars, accessible resources and a nationwide storytelling competition.
Additionally, to help mark International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) in December a panel of Community Attitudes speakers will participate in PWDA’s A Voice of Our Own Conference.
Community Attitudes has something for everyone. Whether you are a LGBTQIA+ person with disability, an ally, employer, educator, service provider or community member, there are many ways to get involved.
Start learning with Community Attitudes e-Learning Modules
The first Community Attitudes e-Learning module is now available.
Module 1: Rights, Self-Advocacy and Speaking Up
This module will help LGBTQIA+ people with disability understand their rights, make informed choices about what they share, ask for support or adjustments, and decide what to do if something does not feel fair, accessible or respectful. It includes practical information and tools to build confidence in self-advocacy.
The module is free and can be completed online at your own pace.
Register on the e-learning platform to start learning today.
Coming soon Module 2: Storytelling
Stories have the power to change attitudes.
Later this year, PWDA will launch Module 2 – Storytelling, which explores how lived experience can challenge stereotypes, build understanding and inspire change.
The module will support LGBTQIA+ people with disability to tell their story in a safe, affirming and accessibility way. The module will demonstrate the important role storytelling plays in creating more inclusive communities.
Coming soon – Community Attitudes Creative Storytelling Competition for LGBTQIA+ People with Disability.
This year PWDA is inviting LGBTQIA+ people with disability to share their stories through the Creative Storytelling Competition.
We’re looking for stories that explore experiences of accessibility, inclusion, belonging, identity or overcoming barriers. Every story has the potential to challenge misconceptions and help create positive change.
Competition entries open soon.
Stay tuned to find out more information and how to enter
Original Artwork by Artist Essa Chingell
An original artwork was commissioned from artist Essa Chingell to reflect the project’s themes and support greater visibility and recognition of intersecting identities.
‘To be held’ is an ode to the symbiotic holding I’ve experienced in queer relationships that has been so essential to my own relational healing and thriving. It’s a moment of gratitude for all the queer hands that have lifted me up and continue to do so. My experience of disability and queerness are inextricably linked and finding community with similar experiences has been life changing. In whatever spaces we move it’s so so important to be with people who understand our lived experience. This work aims to highlight the importance of authentic community and how it creates space for us to thrive together.
Join a Community Attitudes webinar
PWDA will be hosting webinar aimed to improve community attitudes and embed intersectional inclusion and safety in a variety of community and workplace settings.
In the webinar you will gain an understanding of intersectionality, creating affirming and accessible spaces, best practices and practical strategies, and building an inclusive culture (how to be an ally) for LGBTIQIA+ people with disability.
The webinar is designed to support people from government agencies, not-for-profit organisations, small businesses and organisations in the community services and education sectors such as universities.
Please register your interest to attend one of the four planned webinars for 2026.
Upcoming webinar dates:
- 26 August – 12:00 – 1:00pm (AEST)
- 16 September – 6:00 – 7:00pm (AEST)
- 22 October – 12:00 – 1:00pm (AEDT)
- 24 November – 6:00 – 7:00pm (AEDT)
Join us for International Day of People with Disability at PWDA’s A Voice of Our Own
Throughout the year, the Community Attitudes project will share stories, resources and opportunities before coming together at PWDA’s A Voice of Our Own conference to celebrate International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD).
At the conference, PWDA will showcase project outcomes, celebrate the power of lived experience and continue the conversation about creating a more accessible and inclusive Australia. We’ll share more information about our IDPwD event in the coming months.
Want to learn more about Community Attitudes?
Visit the Community Attitudes project page on our website.
Contact Us
For enquiries please contact PWDA at projects@pwd.org.au or on 1800 422 015.