Leave Nobody Behind webinar series

Name: Leave Nobody Behind webinar series
Start: 0001-01-01
End: 0001-01-01
Location: National

The Leave Nobody Behind webinar series showcases action-oriented good practice in Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DIDRR). Expert speakers from each DIDRR stakeholder group (government and emergency services, people with disability, and disability support services) share case studies of current progress, specific actions, implementation challenges and how they are being tackled, as well as what needs to happen next. Together the series demonstrates that key to success is multi-stakeholder collaborative action.

The Leave Nobody Behind project, through the Collaborating4Inclusion Research team, has been working in local government areas across New South Wales to gather research and develop practice that builds cross-sector community capacity to ensure that nobody is left behind when disasters strike. The final outcome of the project is a national framework for cross-sector collaborative action on DIDRR. Consistent with the research team’s commitment to co-production, the framework will be supported by multi-stakeholder consultation; beginning with the Leave Nobody Behind webinar series.

View the webinars on the Leave Nobody Behind YouTube playlist.

Actions government and emergency services can take on DIDRR

Click here to read the webinar transcript

For too long, disability has been kept in the ‘too-hard basket’. Emergency personnel have not had the right tools to support meaningful inclusion, participation and tailored planning for disasters; community, health and disability service providers have not been integrated into emergency planning; and people with disability have been overlooked in emergency management policies and practice decisions. Confusion persists about who takes responsibility for people with disability in emergencies.

This webinar focused on the role and contributions of Australian government and emergency services to developing DIDRR at the local community level. Through case studies, the speakers explored approaches that government and emergency personnel are using to put people with disability and their support needs at the centre of inclusive emergency management policy, planning and practice.

Webinar host: Margaret Moreton, Executive Director, Australian Institute of Disaster Resilience

Guest Speakers:

Michelle Villeneuve, Associate Professor & Deputy Director, Centre for Disability Research and Policy, The University of Sydney
Angela Cook, Senior Engagement Advisor, People at Higher Risk, Victorian Country Fire Authority
The University of Sydney Impact Centre for Disability Research and Policy, PhD Candidates:
- Michael Morris
- Brigit Maguire
- Louise Mitchell
Wendy Graham, Program Lead, Regional Recovery Exercising Program, National Emergency Management Agency

Webinar slides: Actions government and emergency services can take on DIDRR (PDF 14.0MB)

Actions that people with disability and their representatives can take on DIDRR

Click here to view the webinar transcript

The biggest risk to safety and well-being of people with disability in emergencies is their exclusion from emergency management practices and policy decision-making.

Organisations of People with Disabilities (OPDs), carer organisations and advocacy organisations can play a significant role in disaster policy, planning and interventions. Through their lived experience, leadership and roles as disability advocates, these groups represent the voice and perspective of their members. With in-depth understanding of the factors that increase risk for people with disability in emergencies, they also have access to informal networks of support and communication. This information is not readily available within mainstream emergency management.

In this webinar, we listened and learn from people with disability, OPDs, carer representatives and advocates about how they are taking action on DIDRR. Peer-led approaches were discussed, including the implementation challenges that have been encountered; how they are being tackled, and what needs to happen next. While case studies demonstrated how people with disability and their support needs should be placed at the centre of disability inclusive disaster risk reduction (DIDRR).

Webinar host: Margaret Moreton, Executive Director, Australian Institute of Disaster Resilience

Guest Speakers:

Michelle Villeneuve, Associate Professor & Deputy Director, Centre for Disability Research and Policy, The University of Sydney
Michelle Moss, Chief Executive Officer, Queenslanders with Disability Network
Peter Tully,Board Member, Queenslanders with Disability Network
Ainslie Whitburn, Project Coordinator, Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO)
Dr Tonia Crawford, Director, Pre-registration programmes & Senior Lecturer, Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery
Sarah Judd-Lam,Executive Manager, Policy, Development and Research, Carers NSW
Courtney Jones,Program Lead - Care2Prepare, Carers NSW

Webinar slides: Actions that people with disability and their representatives can taken on DIDRR

Actions that service providers can taken on DIDRR

Click here to read the webinar transcript

Community, health and disability service providers (paid service providers and volunteers) are an untapped local community asset with potential to increase safety and well-being for people with disability in emergencies. Harnessing this potential is a complex challenge.

This webinar shared examples of how Australian service providers are taking action on Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DIDRR) in diverse service delivery contexts with different service delivery models, funding arrangements, and workforce capacity. Speakers spoke of effective practices for linking personal emergency preparedness of people with disability (and other high-risk groups) to organisational preparedness and service continuity, ensuring people with disability continue to receive the services that support them during a disaster.

Webinar host: Margaret Moreton, Executive Director, Australian Institute of Disaster Resilience

Guest Speakers:

Michelle Villeneuve, Associate Professor & Deputy Director, Centre for Disability Research and Policy, The University of Sydney
Parvathi Subramanium, Research Assistant, University of Sydney
Emma Birch, Regional Manager, Clinical, Rocky Bay
John Fenech, bushfire Recovery Manager, Community Development, St Vincent de Paul
Heidi Chappelow, Project Officer, Emergency Management, Hunter Local Services
Raelene Bock, Co-founder, PCEP Connect Hunter
Aimee Parker, Community Connector, Singleton Neighbourhood Centre

Webinar slides: Actions that service providers can taken on DIDRR

Australia's First National DIDRR Forum

On 2 June 2023, in partnership with the NSW Government and the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, the University of Sydney held Australia's first National Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Forum. The Forum was attended by government and emergency services representatives, people with disability and those who represent them, as well as representatives from disability support services. The aim of the day was to showcase research the Collaborating4Inclusion team have gathered through the Leave Nobody Behind Project, and to workshop how key stakeholders can work together to act on DIDRR.

The National DIDRR Forum was the final consultation in the Leave Nobody Behind Project, following on from the first three webinars in the Leave Nobody Behind Webinar Series. Program highlights included:

An opening address on ‘why representation matters’ by Minister Liesl Tesch, NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Families, Communities and Disability Inclusion, as well as a disability advocate with a lived experience of spinal cord injury.
A panel discussion on ‘disability leadership through co-design’ featuring Claire Gibellini from Women with Disabilities Australia (WWDA) and Michelle Moss from Queenslanders with Disability Network, moderated by Peter Tully a Lived Experience Co-Researcher with the Centre for Disability Research and Policy.
A presentation on the need for ‘national consistency for DIDRR’ delivered by the National Emergency Management Agency’s Deputy Coordinator General, Rina Bruinsma.
A closing panel on ‘cross-sector collaborative actions on DIDRR’ featuring Luke Barbagallo from the City of Coffs Harbour Council, Jessica Innes from Peppercorn (a disability service provider), Steve Lawrence from the NSW State Emergency Services and Leyla Craig from Fire and Rescue NSW, moderated by AIDR’s Executive Director Margaret Moreton.

Workshops between these presentations asked participants to image a desired future for DIDRR and to answer questions such as:

How can we achieve these equitable outcomes through multi-stakeholder collaboration? What bold actions can we take to make this vision a reality?
What tools and resources will help us to get started?
What might get in our way?
How can we manage those challenges?

A video overview of the day featuring participants experiences can be viewed on the Collaborating4Inclusion website.

Explore Related Resources on the Knowledge Hub

Recovery Exercising Toolkit

Community Engagement for Disaster Resilience Handbook

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