Grants for People with Disability to Attend Conferences
8 February 2017 at 8:56 am
The federal government is offering grants of up to $10,000 to assist people with disability to participate in nationally-focused, disability-related conferences held in Australia.
Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services Jane Prentice said the National Disability Conference Initiative would ensure people with disability had the opportunity to participate in conferences about issues affecting their lives.
“These grants will help people with disability to participate in events which may have otherwise been inaccessible to them,” Prentice said.
“Conference organisers can use these grants to ensure people with disability can better participate by developing accessible materials, employing Auslan interpreters or offering assistive computer devices or software, aids or appliances.
“The funds can also be used for expenses such as conference fees, travel and accommodation for people with disability.”
The minister said the National Disability Conference Initiative aimed to promote inclusive and accessible communities, consistent with the National Disability Strategy 2010-2020.
A total funding of $315,000 is available in grants for nationally-focused, disability-related conferences held in Australia between 1 July 2017 and 30 June 2018.
Applications close at 2pm AEDT on 14 March 2017.
More information about how to apply for a National Disability Conference Initiative grant can be found here.
Hi,
I would like to see these grants expanded to non-disability conferences. It would be good for disabled people to be able to attend conferences in relation to starting a business for example, to help them get out of the poverty trap. Purely staying in the disability sector is an insular view and whilst it will of course be beneficial for some, it will be very limiting for others.
Dale.
https://mydisabilitymatters.club
Good point – we to often have too much of an ‘us and them’ attitude in society, where people with disabilities are involved. They should have more access to any conference, just as those who haven’t been forced into poverty, due to a disability, have When the general public see people with disabilities out and about, instead of hidden away, society may begin to develop an empathy and understanding of their needs and be less inclined to be ableist in their thinking.