Pain Takes. Disability Pride Gives.

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Pain Takes. Disability Pride Gives.

tile with purple text that reads: “Pain Takes. Disability Pride Gives,” “National Pain Week,” “21st -27th July 2025” and “A WDV Peer Blog by Brigitte Stone”. There is a circular framed image of Brigitte Stone in the bottom right hand corner

National Pain Week is observed from Monday the 21st of July to Sunday the 27th of July. WDV’s Women’s Empowerment Officer, Brigitte Stone, has explored her experience with chronic pain in our latest blog. 

“…While pain takes, disability pride can give us back the right to take up space and demand better. We can share in that pride, and we can share in that power. We are worthy.”

Read the full blog here: 
Pain Takes. Disability Pride Gives. PDF
Pain Takes. Disability Pride Gives. Word

Image description: Sandy coloured tile with purple text that reads: “Pain Takes. Disability Pride Gives,” “National Pain Week,” “21st -27th July 2025” and “A WDV Peer Blog by Brigitte Stone”. There is a circular framed image of Brigitte Stone in the bottom right hand corner.

 

Warm & Well in Winter

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Warm & Well in Winter

We are well into the Victorian Winter now, and as we prepare for more wild weather across the region, WDV’s Local Leadership Hubs have been sharing their lived experiences and wonderfully warming ideas. 

Read the new Peer Guide here: 

Warm and Well in Winter PDF
Warm and Well in Winter Word

Image description: A graphic tile with dark purple background. The white WDV logo is positioned in the top right hand corner. White title text reads: “Warm and Well in Winter” with “A peer guide on health and happiness during the cold Victorian Winter for women and gender diverse people with disabilities” underneath. There is a PNG graphic of a woman or gender diverse person handing out papers in the bottom left hand corner, placed atop a solid-coloured light purple pebble shaped graphic. There are screenshots of the peer guide positioned to the left of that. 

WDV Youth Blog: Where Identities Meet: Belonging at the Intersections

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WDV Youth Blog: Where Identities Meet: Belonging at the Intersections

WDV Youth Expert Husna Amani asks the question – what does it mean to belong? Specifically, what does it mean for those of us who have multiple marginalised identities? And, can we truly belong in one specific group, or to multiple?

Read the blog here:
WDV Youth Blog: Where Identities Meet: Belonging at the Intersections – Word 

WDV Youth Blog: Where Identities Meet: Belonging at the Intersections – PDF

Joint Statement from Women with Disabilities Australia, Women with Disabilities ACT and Women with Disabilities Victoria

Posted on by Kayla Morton

Women with Disabilities Australia (WWDA), Women with Disabilities ACT (WWDACT), and Women with Disabilities Victoria (WDV) stand united in our endorsement of WWDA’s 2025 Federal Election Platform and 2025-26 Federal Budget Response.

WDV’s Acting CEO, Julie Kun, says that: “21.8% of all women and girls in Australia identify as having disability. It is imperative that our needs are addressed by the government. We all deserve to live with safety, respect, and access to the health and community support we need. The government’s implementation of Australian Peak Bodies for women with disabilities endorsed federal platform and budget response, is essential to making this a reality.”

To read the full joint statement in either PDF or Word format, click the link(s) below:

PDF: Joint Statement

Word: Joint Statement

 

WDV Youth Blog: Endometriosis Awareness Month

Posted on by Kayla Morton

March is Endometriosis awareness month. Sharing their experiences with the disease that affects 1 in 7 people assigned female at birth is WDV Youth Expert by Experience Teagan Mitchell.

Sharing ‘endo facts’ and her own experiences, Teagan hopes to provide a greater understanding of invisible disability and the condition.

Click the link to read the full piece:

WDV Youth Blog – Endometriosis Awareness Month

Pleasure and Consent – Discussion Paper Released

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Pleasure and Consent – Discussion Paper Released

Women and gender diverse people with disabilities in Australia face significant barriers to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and experience higher rates of sexual and intimate partner violence.

Physical, structural, and attitudinal barriers limit access to SRH care and violence prevention. The findings of this discussion paper demonstrate that a pleasure-based approach in healthcare and within gender based violence prevention programs can challenge harmful narratives and support sexual agency for women and gender diverse people with disabilities.

To address these concerns, WDV’s Victorian Women’s Health Program (VWHP), with support from the Gender and Disability Workforce Development Program (G&D), are developing resources on pleasure and consent to improve SRH outcomes and prevent violence.

Read the media release:

Increasing access to pleasure and consent for women and gender diverse people with disabilities – Word Document

Read the discussion paper:

Pleasure and Consent for Women and Gender Diverse People with Disabilities: Discussion-Paper – Word Document 

WDV Youth Blog: Mental Health and Disability

Posted on by Kayla Morton

Mental Health and Disability

Mental health is a good example of inclusion: someone can experience mental health challenges regardless of who they are – it does not discriminate. Anyone can be affected, and there are many reasons and circumstances in which difficulties can arise.
Fortunately, although you might feel alone, there are people out there who can relate and understand you. There is help.

Youth Expert by Experience, Emma Jago, thoughtfully explores disabled identity and mental health challenges in the blog below. Click the link to read the full piece:

WDV Youth Blog – Mental Health and Disability

Free Short-term Technical Advice and Assistance!

Posted on by Kayla Morton

Free Technical Advice and Assistance for Building Disability Access and Inclusion in the workplace! 

Are you a Victorian organisation looking to enhance employee disability access and inclusion from recruitment to onboarding and ongoing support? If so, WDV is here to help! 

We are offering FREE short-term advice and assistance to organisations committed to recruiting and supporting women and gender-diverse people with disabilities as employees or leaders. This incredible opportunity is part of our Sharing our Expertise project, leveraging our extensive experience to foster inclusive workplaces. 

Interested? Please contact us on social media or via emailing the Advocacy Lead, Helen Freris, at [email protected].

WDV’s 2022 AGM and Members lunch event

WDV’s 2022 AGM and Members lunch event

Posted on by Ben Crompton

WDV’s 2022 AGM and Members lunch event is coming soon! 

WDV’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Members lunch event will be held on Tuesday 8 November from 11:00am to 3:00pm.  This will be a hybrid meeting – so you can choose to attend face-to-face at the Isabella Fraser Room, State Library Victoria, Melbourne or online via Zoom. This year the AGM will be followed by a Members lunch event including a guest speaker. 

More information about the AGM and Members lunch event, how to register, and how to nominate for a position on the Board of WDV will be available in the coming weeks.