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Category: Resources and Reports

  • Workshop resource: Learn Burlesque

    Workshop resource: Learn Burlesque

    A black poster with red & pink stripes behind a cartoon woman. The woman is wearing a dress, long gloves, and a top hat with a rose on it. The WWDACT logo is in the top left. Text reads 'WORKSHOP/PEER EVENT. 11-3PM 18 JULY @ THE GRIFFIN CENTRE. Free Registration! LEARN BURLESQUE with Empress Eyrie.'

    This was Our Autonomy’s first joint workshop and peer event!

    Disabilibabes, get your sticks and strut your way over to this sexy soiree! Delight in disabled dance and socialise in sultry style!

    Make way for the Empress…

    The goddess of Badass! Putting the dynamite in dynamic disability; able to do a cartwheel one day and not even put on her socks the next! Sometimes strange, sometimes sensual, sometimes both, Empress Eyrie blends burlesque with performance art and storytelling to bring her soul to stages all over Australia.

    The proud owner and teacher of Tease-Able Burlesque School, the world’s first in person disability owned and focused burlesque school, she prides herself on making burlesque open and accessible for everybody. She adores being able to perform with her mobility aids and show the world that disabled people are sexy and deserve to be seen! Her commitment to accessibility and empowerment show the world inclusivity is liberation. An experienced artist, proud disabilibabe and all round magical creature there is nothing routine about her routines.

    This workshop & peer event included:

    • Learning a brief history of burlesque: where it came from, why we do it and how disability and burlesque intertwine in 2026.
    • Learning the fundamentals of traditional burlesque dance moves, as well as adaptive variations for different abilities.
    • Incorporating those moves into a short routine while you build your confidence and feel sexy in a safe environment.
    • This event was 18+ only.

    You can read & download the resources from this workshop below.

    Learn Burlesque – ResourceDownload
  • Workshop resource: Budgeting 102

    Workshop resource: Budgeting 102

    A purple poster with with cartoon images of a medicine bottle, coins, and a soup bowl at the bottom. Heading text on a white background reads 'BUDGETING 102: HOW TO with Kate from Moneybites'. The Moneybites logo is below. Below that is two white circles with text; the left circle reads 'IN PERSON Tuesday 7 July. Communities and Work - Denman'. The right circle reads 'ONLINE Wednesday 8 July. Online via Zoom'

    How to set up your finances, find a budgeting style that suits you, seek support, and superannuation basics.

    If you’ve been wanting to learn more about money, these resources are a must. In Budgeting 102, we tackled the following how-to topics:

    • How to get started with setting up your finances
    • How to save money and budget your spending
    • Find a budgeting style that suits you
    • Superannuation basics
    • How to seek support with your money if you get stuck.

    The Health Care Consumers Association joined us with tips on saving money on your medical bills.

    Communities at Work talked about their hardship support services for food, scripts and other essentials.

    You can download the slides and resources below.

    Budgeting 102 – Money Bites x WWDACT – SlidesDownload
    Budgeting 102 – Money Bites x WWDACT – ResourceDownload
    Budgeting 102 – Resource – Spending diaryDownload
    Stretching Your Health Dollar Resources 2026Download

  • Workshop: Disability and Your Rights at Work

    Workshop: Disability and Your Rights at Work

    A purple poster with text on while background. Heading text reads "DISABILITY AND YOUR RIGHTS AT WORK". Next line reads "with Canberra Community Law and the Working Women's Centre". Logo on left: Working Women's Centre ACT. Logo on right: Canberra Community Law. Two white circles below with text. Left circle text reads: 'IN PERSON. Tuesday 19 May 11am-1pm. Ainslie Arts Centre, Elouera Street, Braddon'. Text in right circle reads: 'ONLINE. Wednesday 20 May. 6-7.30pm Online va Zoom'. 3 cartoons at the bottom: left is of a hand pushing a 'REPORT' button, the middle is a building with the Scales of Justice at the front, right is of a person holding a sign that says 'EMBRACE EQUALITY'

    This was a workshop on disability discrimination law, disclosure and reasonable adjustments in the workplace. It also featured information on when to talk to a lawyer.

    This was a free workshop for women, non-binary and gender diverse people with disabilities.

    Canberra Community Law (CCL) and the Working Women’s Centre ACT (WWC) presented a workshop on how they help people with disability workplace issues.

    The workshop included:

    • Your rights on disclosing your disability at work
    • How to access your entitlements
    • Reasonable adjustments – how to get the things you need to do your job
    • Discrimination law
    • How to make a complaint through the Human Rights Commission
    • How to keep a record of your workplace concerns
    • Understanding workplace sexual harassment, your rights, and protections
    • When to talk to a lawyer
    • Where to go for help

    The resources from this workshop will be coming soon!

  • Workshop Resource: Working and the Disability Support Pension

    Workshop Resource: Working and the Disability Support Pension

    ACT Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disability Staff Angela and Gemma spoke about the Disability Support Pension and how working can affect it.

    Participants learned about:

    • What is the Disability Support Pension (DSP)
    • How much money people can get on the DSP
    • Pension changes when you get money from a job
    • Reporting to Centrelink.

    Ask any questions you may have.

    Canberra Community Law were also there to talk about their role in appeals for the Disability Support Pension application process.

    Slides:

    About the Disability Support Pension Slides Download

    Resources:

    Easy Read Factsheet – Your Rights at WorkDownload
  • Workshop Resource: Budgeting 101 and Disability

    Workshop Resource: Budgeting 101 and Disability

    Purple poster with a cartoon piggy bank in the bottom left, and cartoon credit cars & bills in the bottom right. Heading text reads "Budgeting 101 with Disability with CARE Financial". Two circles with text below reads "Online Monday 17 November 6.00- 7.30pm Online via Zoom". Second circle text reads "In person Wednesday 19 November 1pm lunch 1.30pm- 3pm workshop, Ainslie Arts Centre, Braddon".

    Event Details

    An empowering workshop to identify existing skills and build knowledge to assist with budgeting for life.

    Living with disabilities creates extra financial challenges.

    This empowering workshop helped people identify their existing skills to assist with budgeting for life.

    This workshop included:

    • Feelings around finances and budgeting
    • How to track income and expenses
    • Budgeting apps
    • Essential budgeting skills
    • Share neuroaffirming success tips

    Slides:

    Budgeting 101 SlidesDownload

    Resources:

    Community Orgs that offer vouchersDownload
    Community PantriesDownload
  • Workshop Resource: Living well and thriving as a neurodivergent person

    Workshop Resource: Living well and thriving as a neurodivergent person

    This was a neuro-affirming workshop on physical activity, mental wellbeing, sleep and nutrition for those with differences in communication, habits,

    It was for all neurodivergent people: including anyone who experiences differences in memory, motivation, habit formation, energy, focus, circadian cycles, social communication, and sensory processing.

    Ebe shared neuro-affirming and tailored information about:

    • physical activity and exercise
    • mental wellbeing, and
    • sleep

    Margo from Whole Body Nutrition is a neuro-affirming Practicing Nutritionist and shared information on cultivating a healthy relationship with food and sensory feeding differences.

    Slides:

    Living Well and Thriving as a Neurodivergent Person SlidesDownload
    The Basics: Neurodivergence and Relationship to Food and Eating SlidesDownload

    Resources:

    Resource – Lived experience blog, Too much and exactly enoughDownload
    Resource – Wellbeing Green FlagsDownload
    Resource – Wellbeing Reflection Activity PackDownload
  • Workshop resource: Consent 102 – Beyond the Basics

    Workshop resource: Consent 102 – Beyond the Basics

    You can view a PDF of the resource below.

    Consent 102 resourceDownload resource
  • Workshop 9: Policy and Advocacy 101 with Pippa Newman

    Workshop 9: Policy and Advocacy 101 with Pippa Newman

    Event description

    This workshop was held in-person at Denman Communities at Work on 20th August 2025, and online on 21 August 2025.

    This workshop talked about the following topics:

    • How the ACT government works
    • How to get in touch with your local ACT government members and ministers
    • Important times that the government makes decisions (like elections, budgets and making new strategies)
    • Ways the government asks for community opinions
    • How you can share your voice and be heard
    • What WWDACT and other systemic advocacy organisations do

    The WWDACT Policy Network was launched at this workshop. You can learn more about it here.

    Workshop recording

    A recording of the online version of the workshop will be available soon.

    Workshop slides are available below.

    Policy and Advocacy 101 – SlidesDownload slides

    Workshop resources

    You can access the resource for this workshop below. You can click the link to download it as a PDF, or view it in your browser below.

    Policy & Advocacy 101 Working together to uphold our rights Workshop ResourceDownload resource

  • Workshop 8: Your Education Options as an Adult with Disabilities

    Workshop 8: Your Education Options as an Adult with Disabilities

    This workshop covered your rights in education institutions, short course options and building confidence

    • Unpack why you might consider tertiary education (e.g. university, TAFE, or VET) and what options are available
    • Learn about your rights as a student with disability when you participate in tertiary education
    • Gain practical tips for advocating for adjustments and accommodations to support your learning
    Your Education Options as an Adult with DisabilitiesDownload

  • “Involved from the Beginning” COVID-19 Outreach Project Final Report

    “Involved from the Beginning” COVID-19 Outreach Project Final Report

    A new report released today by Women with Disabilities ACT (WWDACT) analyses the
    experiences of women, girls, feminine identifying, and non-binary people with disabilities during
    COVID-19. It illustrates an urgent need to address pre-existing disadvantage, and to involve
    women* with disabilities in all emergency planning.
    Report author Megan Hagan says ‘Findings were disheartening in that nothing was really new,
    or really COVID-19 specific. Instead, there was a predictable worsening of pre-existing
    disadvantage.’

    78% of women* with disabilities reported experiencing new or increased mental health issues
    during COVID-19. Of particular concern, 87% of LGBTIQA+ people with disabilities
    experienced increased mental health concerns. These figures reflect the already high levels of
    mental health concerns among women* with disability being exacerbated.

    28% of women with disability were impacted negatively by increased physical labour. Ms
    Hagan notes ‘gender inequalities around the mental load, home schooling, and increased
    domestic work increased barriers for many women* with disabilities.’

    The report also acknowledges positive changes brough about by COVID-19. Of note, there
    were increased social security payments; increased availability of Telehealth appointments; the
    normalisation of video calls; the ability to work from home; and a greater community
    awareness of infection control, isolation, and loneliness.

    These positive aspects are important to bring forward as we strive for an equitable society, but
    they in no way balance out the negative impacts.

    COVID-19 has resulted in increased domestic violence cases across Australia. Despite the
    federal government committing additional domestic violence funding, there have not been the
    resources to meet demand for support services. 12% of women* with disability experienced
    new or increased domestic violence due to COVID-19.

    22.73% of LGBTQI+ people with disability experienced new or increased family or domestic
    violence during COVID-19 in contrast to 7.25% of cisgender women.
    40% of women* with disabilities experiencing family or domestic violence did not have access
    to appropriate services.

    In Australia, compared to their peers, women, girls, feminine identifying, and non-binary people
    with disabilities experience higher levels of all forms of violence more intensely and frequently
    and are subjected to such violence by a greater number of perpetrators. COVID-19
    exacerbated the situation.

    When speaking on the prevention of violence against women* with disabilities in the ACT,
    WWDACT CEO explains that ‘Women* with disabilities experience the same forms of violence
    that all women* experience, but they also experience forms of violence unique to the
    intersection of gender and disability.’ The prevalence of this violence is testimony to the lack of
    prevention strategies and pathways safety afforded to women* with disabilities by current
    policy, services, and systems. On this, Mx Reed notes ‘worryingly, our stats do not represent
    the true extent of this problem’.

    You can read our full report, summary brief and media release below.

    Involved from the Beginning (1)Download
    Brief – Involved from the BeginingDownload
    Media-Release-1Download