First Peoples Disability Network

World Usability Day 2024, dedicated to the shared mission of making our world more accessible for everyone, will be observed on November 14, 2024. This day features events held globally, uniting product, design, and usability communities to enhance the accessibility and user-friendliness of products and services. 2024 Theme: Designing for a Better World

Millions of people with diabetes face daily challenges managing their condition at home, work, and school. They must be resilient, organised, and responsible, impacting both their physical and mental well-being. Diabetes care often focuses only on blood sugar, leaving many overwhelmed. This World Diabetes Day, 14 November, let’s put well-being at the heart of diabetes care and start the change for a better diabetes life.

As the saying goes, “In a world where you can be anything, be kind,” and World Kindness Day 2024—an event held annually on November 13—is a perfect time to start. The goal of this international celebration is simple: make kindness the standard instead of the exception.

Government urged to transform Disability Support Pension after its 'lacklustre' response to Senate report https://lnkd.in/gVnb9q7x

MEDIA RELEASE: Disability Representative Organisations condemn Government failure to act on Disability Support Pension (DSP) Senate Inquiry Report. Read the full statement here: https://lnkd.in/grfymr82

This remembrance day lest we forget our First Peoples soldiers: https://lnkd.in/dBf5hPy https://lnkd.in/gWH7fxfY

  International Stress Awareness Week 2024 is an annual event dedicated to raising awareness about stress, its impact on mental and physical health, and the importance of stress management. 

Congratulations to FPDN staff member Bernard Namok Jnr who won best Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Book Award in the 2024 Book of the Year Awards for his book Our Flag Our Story!

World Polio Day: ‘Vaccination is the key’ to keeping Australia polio-free It’s been more than 50 years since Australia recorded its last case of locally acquired polio and until recently the virus had only been detected in a few countries, thanks largely to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which launched in 1988. Poliovirus is a highly infectious disease that invades the nervous system. While it can infect people of all ages, children are most susceptible, with 50 per cent of all cases affecting children under the age of three. While most people infected with poliovirus are asymptomatic, less than one per cent of infections result in debilitating paralysis, such that any suspected polio case requires immediate investigation. Polio vaccination prevents paralysis and reduces the amount of virus shed in faeces. Here is an informative resource about “vaccination for our mob” for those that are interested..... https://lnkd.in/gSKwf__Y %202011-2015_web%20spreads_0.pdf In 2015, the polio vaccination coverage rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children at 12 and 24 months of age was lower than that for other children (89.8% versus 94.0% and 95.1% versus 95.8%) but higher at 60 months (94.9% versus 93.1%). 

International Stuttering Awareness Day (ISAD), or International Stammering Awareness Day, is an annual celebration held on October 22. It was first held in the UK and Ireland, in 1998.The day is intended to raise public awareness of the issues faced by millions of people – one percent of the world's population – who stutter, or stammer. Research suggests that the overall prevalence of stuttering is approximately 1%19. Australia's population is currently 23.3 million, which would suggest that there are approximately 233,000 people who stutter in Australia. The 2024 theme is 'The Power of Listening'. Stuttering is when a person’s speech is interrupted by unplanned breaks, repetitions and stretches of sounds and words. People who stutter may look and sound like they are having trouble speaking. They may make extra movements of their body and face. Stuttering is relatively common. Around 1 in 100 people stutter. We don’t know what causes stuttering, but it is related to brain activity. Stuttering is not caused by a specific event, tiredness, anxiety, parenting style, or any type of psychological problem. It isn’t possible to catch stuttering from another person. Stuttering usually starts in children around 3 to 4 years of age. It can start suddenly or gradually. It can be very mild through to very severe. Stuttering can be unpredictable. It can change how it sounds, and when and where it happens. It may also disappear and then re-appear in young children. Many young children’s stuttering will disappear altogether. Unfortunately, it is impossible to know whose stuttering will fade away permanently, and when that might happen. Help for stuttering You can get help for stuttering. It’s best to talk to a speech pathologist when you first notice it. Don’t wait to see if it gets better by itself. Stuttering in young children responds well to early intervention. Stuttering can be successfully controlled in older children, adolescents and adults too. Interventions will vary depending on the person and how long they have been stuttering. In Australia, most interventions directly target the stuttering. You can get help in person, via telepractice, individually and in groups. You can also join a support group such as The Stuttering Association for the Young or The Australian Speak Easy Association.