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2024 Victorian Disability Awards winners
Advocacy for People (including self-advocacy)
Winner: Terry Symonds and Matt Warren - Yooralla
Organisation: Yooralla
Terry and Matt designed a program for leaders with disability.
Disability Pride Champion
Winner: Cameron Bloomfield
Organisation: Rainbow Rights and Advocacy
Cameron has been a positive role model for LGBTIQA+ people with disability.
Leadership in Co-design
Winner: Co-design for better access to mental health services
Organisation: Monash Health
Monash Health co-designed a website with people with disability.
Winner: Together
Organisation: YDAS
YDAS made training that helps people with disability.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner: Heather Forsyth
Organisation: Victorian Advocacy League for Individuals with Disability (VALID)
Heather has advanced disability rights for more than 20 years.
2024 Victorian Disability Awards Winners and Finalists (Word)
2024 Victorian Disability Awards event day video
Chris Varney: The Victorian Disability Awards are so important because we've put a spotlight on amazing Victorians who have their heart for disability and they shine it out there.
Matt Warren: It's an incredible experience to win the Victorian Disability Award. The thing that's most incredible is to be judged by my peers, people that I just aspire to. So to have them award me with this is just an amazing experience.
Heather Forsyth: I'm really excited about being a winner. I think I’m most proud of being a peer to other self-advocates. People look up to me, even though I’m short.
Matthew Yates: It feels amazing to be part of a group of people and a whole body of work that's making a big contribution to the sector. Being able to co-design with people with disability is fantastic.
Cameron Bloofield: It feels amazing to get recognised for my hard work that I do with Rainbow Rights and the LGBTIQ community with people with disabilities. It's good to celebrate that we have a dual identity. It's not just that I have an intellectual disability, I'm also proud to be part of the LGBTIQ community as well, as a gay man.
Matt Warren: The Victorian disability community is so beautifully networked. We all look out to each other, we all reach out to each other and we all support each other. It's just a fabulous thing to be part of that network.
Chris Varney: If I could say one thing to all of this year's nominees, I'd say be proud of who you are. Get that pride out there because it's awesome to have a disability and be contributing to Victoria.
Chris Varney: The Victorian Disability Awards are so important because we've put a spotlight on amazing Victorians who have their heart for disability and they shine it out there.
Matt Warren: It's an incredible experience to win the Victorian Disability Award. The thing that's most incredible is to be judged by my peers, people that I just aspire to. So to have them award me with this is just an amazing experience.
Heather Forsyth: I'm really excited about being a winner. I think I’m most proud of being a peer to other self-advocates. People look up to me, even though I’m short.
Matthew Yates: It feels amazing to be part of a group of people and a whole body of work that's making a big contribution to the sector. Being able to co-design with people with disability is fantastic.
Cameron Bloofield: It feels amazing to get recognised for my hard work that I do with Rainbow Rights and the LGBTIQ community with people with disabilities. It's good to celebrate that we have a dual identity. It's not just that I have an intellectual disability, I'm also proud to be part of the LGBTIQ community as well, as a gay man.
Matt Warren: The Victorian disability community is so beautifully networked. We all look out to each other, we all reach out to each other and we all support each other. It's just a fabulous thing to be part of that network.
Chris Varney: If I could say one thing to all of this year's nominees, I'd say be proud of who you are. Get that pride out there because it's awesome to have a disability and be contributing to Victoria.
Award categories
The 2024 Victorian Disability Awards recognised excellence in 4 categories. Many of these categories reflect the ‘Inclusive Victoria: State Disability Plan 2022-2026’. Categories are:
- Advocacy for people (including Self Advocacy)
- Leadership in Co-design
- Disability Pride Champion
- Lifetime Achievement Award
Judging panel
Judges for the Victorian Disability Awards were from Victoria’s disability community. The judges volunteered their time to look at the nominations and make final recommendations.
The judges reviewed the nominations to consider each of the nominee’s contributions to improving the lives of people with disability. The judges made their recommendations to the Minister for Disability.
Contact
Victorian Disability Awards Team
If you have any questions, you can contact the Awards Team:
Phone: (03) 9285 3873
Email: awards@dffh.vic.gov.au
Congratulations to the following winners of the 2022 Victorian Disability Awards:
Winners and inductees by award category
| Award category | Winners and Inductees |
|---|---|
| Emerging leader award |
|
| Excellence in creating inclusive communities |
|
| Excellence in employment outcomes | Where is My Coffee? |
| Excellence in promoting health, housing and wellbeing | Jane Tiller |
| Excellence in promoting rights, fairness and safety | Mary Ritchie - Rubix Support |
| Excellence in promoting disability pride | I CAN Network Mentoring Team |
| Volunteer award | Blind Sports & Recreation Victoria Volunteer Ambassadors |
| Lifetime achievement honour roll |
|
| Minister’s Award for outstanding leadership | Blind Sports & Recreation Victoria Volunteer Ambassadors |
Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit a nomination for the 2022 Victorian Disability Awards.
Finalists
| Award category | Finalists |
|---|---|
Emerging leader award finalists |
|
Excellence in creating inclusive communities finalists |
|
Excellence in employment outcomes finalists |
|
Excellence in promoting health, housing and wellbeing finalists |
|
Excellence in promoting rights, fairness and safety finalists | Mary Ritchie - Rubix Support |
Excellence in promoting disability pride finalists |
|
| Volunteer award finalists |
|
| Lifetime achievement honour roll finalists |
|
Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit a nomination for the 2022 Victorian Disability Awards – all the nominations were fantastic.