Laura Pettenuzzo - Victorian Disability Advisory Council Member

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Pride is one of my favourite things in the whole entire world. I didn’t really know much about disability pride or even really identify as disabled until like 2019. I was 25 and just started working for a disability advocacy organisation and I started to realise that through embracing disability pride that I could actually ask for my access needs. My access needs weren’t something that made me weak or less, or inferior. They were in fact something that made me unique. But a second, potentially more important part of pride is actually being part of a thriving, vibrant, wonderful disability community.

I feel so honoured and privileged to have joined VDAC and I think there are a number of primary issues or topics to which I’d like to draw attention to through my time on VDAC.

I’m a writer, so I’m a member of the arts community. I’m very much aware that there’re a lot of barriers for those of us who are disabled artists trying to kind of break into the industry. But also, to have representation of, for instance, disabled characters.

Another one is that we are living in an ongoing pandemic. So COVID-19 is not gone, despite the fact that unfortunately so many people are acting as though it is and I’m very aware that the disability community is disproportionately impacted by the ongoing threat of COVID-19.

We are also living in an evolving climate crisis. And much like the pandemic, this ongoing climate crisis also disproportionately impacts those of us in the disability community. The processes and procedures that might be considered in terms of supporting abled bodied people through disasters and through climate crises are not necessarily the same as what is needed for the disability community. And our needs deserve to be a primary consideration for decision makers in planning for anything to do with the climate crisis.

Updated 10 March 2023

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Laura Pettenuzzo - Victorian Disability Advisory Council Member

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