(previously called Our Place)
Over 100 women and girls with disability across Australia helped to create ‘Our Site’, a new and innovative website full of important and accessible information for women and girls with disability.
There are currently over 2 million women and girls with disability in Australia and they represent one of the most marginalised and excluded groups in the country. They experience widespread discrimination and violations of their rights and freedoms.
In 2018 Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA) received funding through the National Disability Insurance Scheme’s Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) Program to create a new website for women and girls (aged 15 and over) with disability.
This new website, ‘Our Site’, is the first of its kind in the world. It has been created by women and girls with disability for women and girls with disability.
“Our Site is a comprehensive all-in-one website and safe space, completely purpose built and designed for and by women and girls with disability.” -Akii, Our Place Expert Advisory Panel member.
WWDA CEO, Carolyn Frohmader, says “Participation of disabled women as citizens is at the basis of the recognition of their dignity. ‘Our Site’ has been conceived and developed using an inclusive, co-design approach that has ensured ‘Our Site’ is designed, led, managed, implemented and influenced by women and girls with disability at every stage”.
“In many cases women and girls with disability are not aware of their rights and how to access support and redress when their rights are violated. That’s why it is so important to have an accessible, reliable and relevant resource that they can turn to”, said Ms Frohmader.
The Our Site website will be officially launched on Friday 6 March 2020, at the Australian Human Rights Commission in Sydney by Senator the Honourable Marise Payne, Minister for Women and Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Our Site exists to support women and girls with disability to realise their rights. It provides practical resources and information across five main areas, all selected and prioritised by women and girls with disability:
· Human rights
· Leadership and participation
· Decision making and choices
· Sexual and reproductive health and rights
· Safety from all forms of violence.
Our Site will also showcase real stories from over 40 women with disability across Australia.
Our Site has been designed so that it can be used by as many people as possible. It is compliant to international accessibility standards, is easy to use and provides information in a variety of different formats and languages.
You can view Our Site once it’s live at oursite.wwda.org.au.
If you would like to attend the launch Friday 6 March, please contact Jacinta Carlton (contact details below).
Media contact:
Jacinta Carlton
Media and Communications Officer
Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA)
Ph: 0421 497 770
Email: comms@wwda.org.au