Elcies was proud to sponsor this year’s South Australian Council on Intellectual Disability’s Leading Through Inclusion Conference, which took place in Adelaide last week.
Held on June 6 and 7, the Leading Through Inclusion Conference is a place for people with intellectual disability to be seen, heard and understood.
This year’s theme was ‘My Health My Way’, with a focus on highlighting why health and wellbeing is so important for people to have a good life.
Elcies Principal Clinical Lead – Positive Behaviour Support Tamsin Petzer attended the conference and said Elcies’ sponsorship of the event demonstrates its commitment to make sure people with intellectual disability are involved and accepted as equal members of the community.
“A big part of having a good life is living in a community that is accessible and inclusive,” Tamsin said.
“This includes making sure people are safe and seen as equal members of the community. The SACID Leading Through Inclusion Conference is important as it gives people with intellectual disability an opportunity to speak out and be more involved in the community, while also educating professionals about inclusion. It was great to have discussion around the importance of involving the intellectually disabled community in the design and implementation processes of new initiatives, which is the essence of co-design and encompasses inclusivity at a universal level.
“The event was also a great opportunity to hear from some interesting keynote speakers and make connections with others across the sector as well.”
The conference featured a number of guest speakers over the two days, as well as activities and research sessions, which included a presentation on SACID’s Cyber Wise project, a new online training module created in co-design with people with intellectual disability, and discussion around how the National Centre of Excellence will help address the health issues people with disability are facing.
There was also a Disco Dinner on the Thursday evening, which was included in the program for the first time, giving attendees the option to enjoy a night out and meet new people.
The South Australian Council on Intellectual Disability represents South Australians with intellectual disability and their families and carers. The council works to make sure people with intellectual disability are involved and accepted as equal members of the community.
SACID started the Leading Through Inclusion Conference in June 2022, after the council received feedback from many people with intellectual disability and their families that their voices were not being heard in the broader community.
SACID would not be able to host the conference without the support of sponsors and our Elcies team would like to thank and congratulate SACID on organising another highly successful event.