Tuesday, 19 November 2024
9am – 4pm (AEDT – Tasmania time)
In Person: Campbell Town Recreation Ground Complex, High Street, Campbell Town
Bus Service (free):
- Burnie – Bus Interchange, Cattley St, Burnie
- Devonport – No.2-4 Forth Rd, Don
- Launceston – Country Club Casino
- Hobart – Campbell Street bus stop (near Hotel Grand Chancellor)
TBC – pick up times
We have an exciting program of speakers and topics, including a keynote address by Professor Keith McVilly on Behaviour Support – refocusing our attention and resources on achieving what we have long known is the right thing to do and workshops on Active Support, Practice Leadership, psychosocial disability and sexuality with more topics to be confirmed.
We recognise that support workers do important work in sometimes difficult circumstances. This conference is an opportunity to come together to learn, connect and talk about how to better support people with disabilities.
Speakers:
Professor. Keith McVilly
Keith McVilly is a Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Disability & Inclusion at the University of Melbourne. Previously he has worked as a direct support worker, a clinician and service manager in public health and in private practice. His early work in Tasmania was as part of the Professional Resource Team supporting people moving from Willow Court Centre, and he currently undertakes research for the NDIS and various state governments across Australia.
Janelle McMillan, OAM
I live in two different worlds. One of respect, acceptance and understanding when I am behind safe walls at home, but the other is filled with misunderstanding, judgement, disrespect, ignorance and sometimes down right rudeness out there in our community.
I am fighting every day a war to get people to see who I really am and stop the discrimination, just because a large number of people want to stick their heads in the sand.
Here is a bit about me. “Nell Talk” is using my own voice to shape words to form sentences. People who spend lots of time with me can understand “Nell Talk”.
I am an artist, children’s author, ABC writer, advocate and I also have an Order of Australia for my fundraising work for charities such as breast cancer.
I live in a crazy body that has a mind of its own due to Cerebral Palsy. I have never used any communication device in my adult life to achieve what I have done so far.
By creating artwork and storytelling, I am able to show what non-verbal people are capable of doing. I hope that this will shift perspectives, change attitudes and contribute to more inclusive practices in businesses and the community. My aim is to help people with disabilities to overcome their limitations and be able to achieve what they want to in life.
Dr. Sheridan Forster
Dr Sheridan Forster is a speech therapist, researcher, person with an acquired disability, with an interest in people with severe and profound intellectual disability. She has a PhD looking at interactions between adults with profound intellectual and multiple disability and disability support workers. She continues to be curious, writing and contributing to knowledge of interactions that occur without speech.
Elisha Deegan
Elisha is a registered nurse with a background of working in paediatrics and the disability sector. She is passionate about disability rights, advocacy, and access to healthcare for all people. Elisha is a mother to a 14-year-old and three doggies as well as being a wife. Elisha is working at Laurel House as a Project Officer leading the development of resources focused on prevention of sexual violence and abuse against people with disability. When she is not working at Laurel House Elisha is working on her PhD to develop an educational intervention that will provide training for people to deliver CPR to people with disability and wheelchair users.
Huy Ngyuen and Steve Cooper
Steve has a background in child protection, adult education and disability support. Steve’s team have been looking at the design and delivery of staff training and experiences for people living with a disability using virtual reality, particularly the accessibility of the technology.
Dr. Glenys Holt
Dr Glenys Holt is Senior Research Consultant for the Applied Research Centre for Disability and Wellbeing, which is a partnership between the University of Tasmania and the Possability Group. Previously Glenys was a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Chester in the United Kingdom, specialising in forensic psychology and the psychology of language. Glenys has a passion for using science to answer the big questions about decision-making, such as why some people are more vulnerable to being wrongfully convicted, and how adapting processes within the criminal justice system can help jurors, witnesses, and victims make better decisions. She is also interested in how we can harness the power of data to understand decisions made in a clinical setting for the improvement of quality of life for people with intellectual disability and the safety and wellbeing of those who support them.
Michelle Haddon
Michelle’s academic studies focused on disability (Disability Studies) and she has worked in the field for 30+ years supporting people with disability. She is highly experienced in working both as an advocate and in the development of advocacy skills in those with intellectual disability. Michelle’s current role is one that focusses on ensuring people with disability have an authentic voice within the organization that provides them with support. Her role within the ARCDW is to assist the Centre to ensure it takes proper account of the wishes and skills of those who are the focus of the research effort.