Develop, support, promote disability leaders
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Lesley Hall Award for Lifetime Achievement
Rights Activism
Inclusion
Innovation
Social Impact
Change Making
Arts
Llewellyn Prain – Lesley Hall Award for Lifetime Achievement
Llewellyn has achieved significant milestones in advancing disability rights and inclusion. She developed a leadership program and facilitated impactful workshops that elevate diverse voices within the disability community including neurodiverse individuals. Her vision for inclusion and support in the Water Industry stands alone and reflects a profound understanding of disability and diversity.
Emma Bennison – Lesley Hall Award for Lifetime Achievement
Emma has been a leader across disability from arts to advocacy to service delivery. She has reformed and modernised organisations, like Blind Citizens Australia, to benefit members. And she has challenged power in large service providers, like Vision Australia. Emma now supports others to do same.
Our Voice SA – Rights Activism
Using the UNCRPD in workshops, peer networks, client reference groups and conferences, run across 5 regions, OVSA has empowered PWID to advocate for their rights and influence decisions that affect them and their peers. Led by a board of self-advocates & allies and employing 15 PWD, PWID have changed government policies and processes and created improvements to closed disability services systems.
The Australian Neurodivergent Parents Association – Rights Activism
The Australian Neurodivergent Parents Association defends and equips ND parents in Australia. They advocate for the right to support, equity and full inclusion of Neurodivergent parents and their children in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Jenny Smith – Rights Activism
Jenny has effectively advanced disability rights by leveraging human rights mechanisms, particularly the CRPD, Her advocacy work influences policy and fosters inclusive practices, promoting the dignity and rights of disabled individuals particularly in the mental health space. By addressing intersectional factors, she ensures diverse voices are represented, leading to improved support and outcomes
Kyriakos Gold – Inclusion
Kyriakos Gold led the first national Autistic Pride Day Symposia in Australia, expanding from Melbourne to Sydney, and developed a global-first, free digital toolkit for Autistic pride. Produced through his social enterprise, Just Gold, the project provides global visibility for Autistic leaders, facilitates connections, and removes stigma.
Mac Zamani – Inclusion
Mac (he/him) is a proud queer, CALD, disabled young person. Since graduating from YDAS’s Young Leaders Program, Mac has been involved in projects that highlight the intersectional diversity of young people, CALD, LGBTQIA+ and disability.
Kaygan Lane – Inclusion
Kay’s work is grounded in disability justice principles, to advance the rights, wellbeing and success of people with disability. Their intersectional advocacy spans grassroots efforts, and work within government, non-profits, and higher education, amplifying disabled voices and fostering inclusion. Kay co-organised Perth’s 1st Disability Pride Festival and is a founding member & co-chair of Pride with Disability Network. Their advocacy includes shaping WA’s LGBTIQA+ Inclusion Strategy as a disability representative and facilitating state and national disability events & summits.
Saphia Grant – Inclusion
From 2020 – 23, Saphia successfully led a national project to build the leadership capacity and inclusion of disabled women. In recent years, Saphia has also helped to build the Tasmanian disability community, including as a co-facilitator of Disability Pride Tasmania. Saphia is currently a Government Senior Project Officer, leading the Tasmanian Disability Inclusion Plan and other initiatives.
Rosie Putland – Innovation
Through her business, Modality Co, Rosie shares digital accessibility tips. Her personal LinkedIn has 952 followers and creates genuine connections. A graduate of the CYDA Young Leaders Program, Rosie has also contributed to projects for YDAS & Embrace Access, & runs meet-ups for the accessibility community in Lutruwita.
Aaron Cotton – Innovation
Aaron Cotton has transformed disability housing by developing a platform that empowers NDIS participants to choose their housemates and providers, addressing the lack of autonomy in Supported Independent Living (SIL). His innovation promotes independence, inclusivity, and safety, significantly improving housing outcomes for people with disabilities across diverse needs and backgrounds.
Katie Butler – Innovation
Katie Butler’s groundbreaking work has redefined disability inclusion. In her recent PhD research, she refined an innovative model to help organisations engage with disability inclusive practice while prioritising disabled leadership. In addition, in her role as an EDI professional she has transformed disability inclusion through strategy, training and networking, inspiring real, lasting change.
Dane Cross – Social Impact
In over two decades of advocating for accessibility & inclusion, Dane has led the calls for Year of Accessible Tourism in QLD & created the Access Accelerator program. As a seasoned trainer & public speaker, he raises awareness and drives change. His work combines nonprofit management, advocacy & action to foster inclusive communities. He is now calling for a National Year of Accessible Tourism.
The Disabled Employee Podcast – Social Impact
The Disabled Employee podcast was conceived, produced and presented by young people with disability speaking frankly about their experiences in and out of employment. It is a powerful critique of systemic discrimination with advice on workplace rights, radical self-care, and workplace accessibility.
Zoe Simmons – Social Impact
Zoe Simmons is an award-winning journalist, speaker, author and fierce disability advocate who uses the power of storytelling to make a difference. She writes and speaks candidly about disabled experiences to highlight discrimination and smash stigma, using her lived experience to create change.
Annette Holden – Change Making
By sharing her journey of vision loss with various sectors Annette has changed policies, legislation and programs. One significant achievement is guiding the Adelaide Zoo through a design strategy to now includes guide dogs. Annette is tenacious and committed in providing her voice to people with disability, who may not yet have the courage to do so themselves.
Ebe Ganon – Change Making
Ebe Ganon is a young disability advocate, sessional academic, and community engagement practitioner who is passionate about improving the state of inclusion in education, employment, and fitness settings. Through media engagement, policy submissions, conference appearances, and directorship, Ebe has played an instrumental role in affecting the necessary cultural change for people with disability to be seen as a priority cohort in tertiary sector reforms.
Naomi Anderson – Change Making
Naomi is a fearless and strident advocate, leader and changemaker who has worked tirelessly on bringing the disability community together to collectively understand and fight against unfair changes to the NDIS. At all times Naomi has worked collaboratively and centred people’s lived experience. Naomi mentors and leads Villamanta’s lawyers in being client centred, and client led in all aspects of their legal work with individual clients and case work and in the development of policy and law reform strategies and submissions.
Emma Bennison – Change Making
Recently Emma led a group of other blind leaders to demand the Vision Australia Board of directors to change their announced process of appointing the new CEO from within current staff (many of the candidates would have been people without disability). She marshalled local & international support, built a movement of blind people and had some key old blind white men use their influence too.
Demon Derriere – Arts
Demon Derriere is formidable activist and powerhouse on a mission to redefine societal norms on ableism, dismantle fatphobia, and liberate all bodies from oppressive stereotypes through cabaret, burlesque, and the award winning show and festival, Big Thick Energy.
Morwenna Collett – Arts
Morwenna runs a national arts consultancy practice, focused on access, equity and inclusion. She helps organisations create positive change, through strategy, research, consultation and training. She has previously held CEO and leadership positions at Accessible Arts, the Australia Council and MCA.
Jodee Mundy OAM – Arts
In 2024 , Jodee was Creative Director of Alter State, Australia’s largest Disability-led arts festival, engaging more than one hundred Deaf and Disabled artists happening at eight venues across Melbourne with arts, theatre, film and a symposium. Disability- led, community intersections were felt : 17 were First Nations artists, 12- Deaf artists, 13 identified as people of colour and 35 LGBTIQ.