Having a Say: clients shine at national disability conference

From advocating for the voices of people with disability to performing an original musical, our clients showed off their diverse skills and talents at a national conference for people with disability.

Held from 28 – 30 January at Deakin University in Geelong, Valid’s Having a Say Conference provides people with disability the opportunity to discuss issues that affect their lives, participate in workshops, and celebrate each other.

This year we were thrilled to be a silver sponsor for the event and to support our clients to share their experiences with the disability community.

Ballarat clients take the stage

In their biggest performance yet, clients from Ballarat Social Connections proudly performed their original musical as part of Having a Say's Got Talent.

Titled Scope the Musical: Working 9 to 3, the hour-long show features 10 clients and showcases what a typical day is like for people who use our Social Connections service.

Claire Hanrahan, Co-ordinator of Ballarat Skills for Life, said the group was excited to perform on the big stage in Deakin University’s 1500-seat auditorium.

“It gave them an experience they had not had before. There was lots of chatter along with some nerves, but the group supported one another to pull off a great show that the performers and audience thoroughly enjoyed,” said Claire.

The musical was written by clients themselves and features hits like Working 9 to 5, We Will Rock You, Working Class Man, and Old Town Road. They had previously performed at a local school after rehearsing for 12 weeks.

“Our drama group wanted to perform a musical so I suggested we write our own. The clients then thought of the activities they do, put songs to them, and worked with a dance company for choreography,” said Claire.

Rookie researchers present their findings

Research Assistants Geoff, Marcus, and Nell gave a presentation about their experience learning how to become researchers and presented the findings of their research project.

Together with five other clients, Geoff, Marcus, and Nell undertook a 10-week course designed by Scope’s research team for people with intellectual disability to learn about what research is and how to carry it out.

“At the course, we learnt about how important research is,” said Geoff. “We learnt about how it can give people a voice to speak up about things that are important to them. We collected and analysed data, and we were shown how to present results. We also learnt about how to do ethical research which means that it is safe for everyone.”

Geoff, Marcus, and Nell also presented the findings of their research project on how to support people with disability to live independently. They found the most important things to live independently were accessible housing and feeling secure.

“We decided on this topic because there was not much previous research, and we know that people with disability want to live more independently and with more choice. Also, because NDIS and service providers are interested in this topic,” said Geoff.

A/ Professor Stella Koritsas, Head of Research, and Dr Caroline Hart, Research Officer, who designed and delivered the training, highlighted Scope’s commitment to involving people with disability in research that affects their lives.

“As we strive to further embed research ‘by’ and ‘with’ our clients throughout the organisation, we hope to provide a more inclusive, empowering environment for our clients,” said Stella.

“The work aims to meaningfully involve clients to shape the organisation’s research agenda, carry out research, and have their research inform the wider disability sector.”

Client Advisory Panel members on speaking up

In another presentation, five members of our Client Advisory Panel spoke about their experiences raising the voices of people with disability.

Daniel, who chairs the panel, was joined by fellow panellists Brendan and Charlotte, and Nicky and Lavourne online, to talk about their roles representing the voices of the people who use Scope’s services.

Abby Welham, Client Partnership Lead, said the conference was a great opportunity for clients to share how powerful it is to have their voices heard.

“This is the first time the panel has had this kind of opportunity and we’re very proud of how they did,” said Abby. “We hope the presentation encourages other Scope clients to think about joining our panel and inspires other disability organisations to look at introducing something like the Client Advisory Panel themselves.”