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Summer Foundation's 2022 Annual Public Forum

Name: Summer Foundation's 2022 Annual Public Forum
Start: 2022-11-25T12:00:00+11:00
End: 2022-11-25T12:00:00+11:00
Location: The Village at NAB Docklands,

Bookings for this event have now closed.

A recording and transcript of this event will be made available on our website in the coming weeks.

The Summer Foundation’s 2022 Annual Public Forum will focus on what housing and supports look like in this new era of the NDIS.

On November 25, we will bring together people with disability, policy makers and sector professionals to discuss the issues and opportunities around SDA and housing more broadly for NDIS participants.

With the new Federal Government bringing forward the NDIS 10-year review, now is the time to explore how a reimagined NDIS could truly serve the people it was designed for.

What is working and what is not when it comes to housing and supports? What opportunities are there for innovation? How can we advocate to the Federal Government and hold it to account? These are just some of the questions we will look at on 25 November.

ABC journalist Beverley O’Connor will host a panel of experts who will share their knowledge around the NDIS, housing and supports.

Speakers include:

John Dardo – Acting Deputy CEO of the NDIA’s Partners, Providers and Fraud Taskforce group

John Dardo joined the NDIA on secondment in August 2022 as Deputy CEO of the newly formed Partners, Providers and Fraud Taskforce group. John is responsible for outward facing interactions with providers, partners in the community, the national contact centre and the recently formed cross-government Fraud Taskforce. John has a longstanding senior executive career in the public service, having previously worked at the Australian Taxation Office and Department of Education, Skills and Employment.

Bram Heinrich McPartlan – NDIS participant and SDA tenant

Bram lives with multiple disabilities in Fully Accessible specialist disability accommodation. Bram found accessing the NDIS a trial and it took multiple attempts to obtain the appropriate housing and supports in their plan. Bram now works casually, does disability advocacy and is grateful for the personal freedom and agency the NDIS has given them.

Alecia Rathbone – Chief Social Enterprise Officer, Housing Hub

Alecia Rathbone is the General Manager of Summer Foundation’s social enterprise the Housing Hub, that connects people with disability to appropriate housing. She is responsible for the development and growth of products and services of the social enterprise including the Housing Hub website, where people with disability can search for suitable housing by housing type or location, and the Tenancy Matching Service, which supports people with disability to apply for new property developments across Australia.

Paul Simmons – CEO, Ability SDA

Paul Simmons is a registered SDA provider that builds specialist disability accommodation. Together with his wife Angie, Paul founded Ability SDA in 2016 in direct response to the need for high quality SDA in NSW. Paul recognised an opportunity to support people with high physical needs by offering independent living solutions and a better quality of life. Today, Ability SDA has 45 accessible apartments with further developments in the pipeline. With a combination of industry experience in economics, finance, property, aged care and SDA, Paul is driven to build cost effective, beautiful, accessible spaces for vulnerable Australians.

After the Annual Public Forum, the discussion will continue with a Q & A based session with a panel of experts from Summer Foundation initiatives including the Housing Hub, UpSkill and Hospital to Home.

The session will discuss how support coordinators, allied health professionals, hospital clinicians and other NDIS sector professionals can work with NDIS participants and families to achieve their housing and support needs and preferences within a reimagined NDIS.

It will be held shortly after the conclusion of the Annual Public Forum in the NAB Arena from 2-3pm AEDT and will be streamed online. 

Join us for this free event. It will be a hybrid event in Melbourne, with the option to join our online audience. This will enable us to engage our national audience, and those unable to join us in person.

FACE TO FACE (at the venue) – FREE

Friday 25 November 2022
Doors open at 11:30am
Annual Public Forum: 12:00 – 1:15pm

Light lunch 1:15 – 1:45pm
Post Forum Seminar 2 – 3pm

(All tickets have been booked for the face to face session, if you would like to go on the waitlist please email alana.dobra@summerfoundation.org.au)

The Arena
The Village at NAB Docklands,
700 Bourke Street,
Docklands, Victoria 3008

Get directions

ONLINE – FREE

12 – 1.15pm AEDT

Summer Foundation's 2022 Annual Public Forum

Summer Foundation's 2022 Annual Public Forum

The Summer Foundation’s 2022 Annual Public Forum will focus on what housing and supports look like in this new era of the NDIS.

On November 25, we will bring together people with disability, policy makers and sector professionals to discuss the issues and opportunities around SDA and housing more broadly for NDIS participants.

Join us for this free event. It will be a hybrid event in Melbourne, with the option to join our online audience. This will enable us to engage our national audience, and those unable to join us in person.

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