Mater Dei promotes awareness on International Day of People with Disability
04 December 2019
Mater Dei College celebrated the achievements of one of their students and welcomed a paralympian to share with their community on 3 December to mark International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD).
The event included a screening of an ABC ME pilot episode starring Year 7 Mater Dei student Emily Prior; Emily played a lead role in Rocky and Me for the ABC DisRupted initiative, which calls for content makers with disability to produce a drama, comedy or non-fiction story about the experiences of a person with disability.
Following the screening Kurt Fearnley, renowned advocate for people with disability, paralympian and IDPwD Australia 2019 patron spoke about his achievements, experiences and learnings.
Mater Dei Principal Annette Morey welcomed Mr Fearnley to share with the students and staff.
“Kurt’s achievements are such an amazing inspiration to all of us, because they teach us a very significant lesson: to not let our disadvantage or disability, in whatever form they may be, keep us from achieving our dreams and goals in life,”
Ms Morey said the College had a proud history of supporting students with disability achieve great things, while at Mater Dei and after graduating.
Mr Fearnley and Emily were also joined by lawyer and rights advocate Catia Malaquias for a Q&A session as part of the day.
The event on IDPwD followed the College’s Disability Awareness Week program in November, which included a range of fun and engaging activities aimed at promoting awareness and inclusion at Mater Dei.
The International Day of People with Disability is held on the 3rd of December each year, and is a United Nations sanctioned day celebrated across the world that aims to increase public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability and celebrate their achievements and contributions.
