Nick with his Seeing Eye Dog Unity.
NSW Minister for Disability Services Andrew Constance has announced that the achievements and experiences of 15 ambassadors will help drive the State Government's Don't DIS My ABILITY campaign.
The ambassadors include Vision Australia staff Nick Gleeson and Steven Ripley and volunteer Hannen Abdallah. They come from a range of backgrounds including the arts, business, sport, volunteering and teaching, and they will be sharing their stories to help generate awareness about people living with a disability and what is possible.
Nick, a Speakers Network Officer at Vision Australia, combines his love of athletics and global adventuring to inspire others. An accident at the age of seven left him with a retinal detachment. Nick successfully represented Australia in athletics and blind cricket.
As a speaker, Nick brings his sporting and travel adventures to life. He has twice crossed the finish line in the New York City Marathon, carried the Sydney Olympic Torch, raced up the 1,576 steps of the Empire State Building, completed the gruelling 90-kilometre Comrades Marathon from Durban to Pietermaritzburg and lived to tell the tale.
Steve is an actor who fulfilled a dream by appearing in an Australian theatre production of "Children of a Lesser God." The play reflects his life as teacher of Auslan and independent living skills to young deaf people who have vision impairments. Gradually deaf and blind, the Claremont Meadows resident has supported parents and families of children who are deaf or are hearing impaired. Currently, Steve works at Vision Australia as a Communications Trainer with people who are deaf and blind.
Hannen Abdallah speaks in Arabic and English about giving people with a disability from non-English speaking backgrounds a voice. As a 'Community Voice' for the Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association and a community educator for Vision Australia, the engaging and energetic Harris Park resident is being heard. Hannen has a learning disability and is vision impaired. She is a member of the NSW Council for Intellectual Disability and the NSW Network of Women with Disability and loves belly dancing.
The campaign has been designed to celebrate the diversity and achievements of people with a disability and will culminate in the United Nation's International Day of People with a Disability in December, Mr Constance said.
For further information about the Don't DIS my ABILITY Ambassadors, events and activities, visit www.dontdismyability.com.au.