Reflections on the 2024 International Day for People with Disability (IDPwD) theme: Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future.
Wednesday 4 December
Blog by Senior Manager Policy, Giancarlo de Vera
As I prepare to close my chapter at PWDA, I was lucky enough to attend the Australian Government’s morning tea celebrating this year’s International Day of People with Disability (IDPWD).
This year’s theme for IDPWD is all about amplifying disability leadership. It wasn’t lost on me that the theme was very apt. Considering after an amazing nearly six years, with four of those years as Senior Manager of Policy, I am leaving PWDA to become the new CEO of BEING the NSW state peak body for mental health consumers and psychosocial disability.
As I embark on a new chapter, I’ve been reflecting on what disability leadership means to me—especially as a proud queer disabled person of colour. For the last few years, I’ve had the immense privilege of growing and leading at PWDA. It’s been a place where I’ve not only honed many skills but also a place where I have witnessed the unwavering strength, creativity, and resilience of our disability community.
PWDA has been more than just a workplace for me. It’s been a launchpad for my disability leadership. Here, I’ve had the chance to collaborate on projects that challenge systemic inequities, advocate for policies that uplift our community, and ensure our voices are heard at tables where decisions are made. I’ve learned so much about leadership—what it takes to bring people together, to stay grounded in our collective experiences, and to dream boldly for a better and more inclusive future.
In many ways, PWDA also gave me the safe place to find community and undo a lifetime of internalised ableism. I often joke to friends in the disability community that PWDA is where I came out – yet again – but this time as a disabled person, brimming with both disability pride and Mad pride.
But this reflection isn’t just about my story; it’s about the bigger picture of disability leadership. While we’ve come a long way, there’s so much more to be done.
Disability leadership is transformative. It reshapes how we understand inclusion, equity, and progress. It’s rooted in recognising that lived experience is the key to understanding and developing the solutions to many of society’s challenges – and that this knowledge and expertise already exists within our communities, it just needs to be harnessed!
But let’s be honest: the opportunities for disabled people to lead are still too few and far between.
Everyone needs to amplify disability leadership in all its forms. That means creating spaces where disabled people—across all intersecting identities—can lead, thrive, and bring their full selves to the table. It means challenging the systems that hold us back, investing in our potential, and celebrating the incredible leadership that already exists within our community.
Amplifying disability leadership also means disability leadership shouldn’t be confined to the disability sector and disability issues. While being disability-led is important (nothing about us, without us) it’s equally important that disabled leaders are present in all aspects of Australian life and society. 1 in 6 of us are disabled, and anyone without a disability can become disabled, so we need disability leaders everywhere!
While I will be starting my next chapter at BEING during a period of great change in the NDIS and mental health spaces, it’s an opportunity that excites me and one I step into with gratitude for everything I’ve learned at PWDA.
Stepping into my new role also deepens my commitment to advocating for disability leadership at every level. It’s not enough for just a few of us to make it through the door—we need to hold it open for others and, if necessary, build new doors altogether.
To my community: your leadership matters. In many ways, being disabled is leadership in action because dealing with daily barriers takes exceptional leadership! Whether you’re mentoring a friend, speaking up in a meeting, or simply living your truth in a world that doesn’t always understand, you are leading.
As I move forward, I carry the lessons, challenges, and triumphs of my time at PWDA with me. I also leave with lifelong friends, mentors and accomplishments that has made working at PWDA my singular career highlight so far!
I also leave knowing this: disability leadership isn’t just about the individual—it’s about the collective power of our community. Together, we are unstoppable!
Here’s to building a future where more of us have the chance to lead, to thrive, and to create change. Thank you to the PWDA community, for allowing me to grow my disability leadership. I know PWDA will continue to be a force that pushes for more for disabled people, and I look forward to being an active member!
If you’d like to stay connected, find me on LinkedIn and Instagram.
If you’re not a PWDA member, join for free here.
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