At SSI’s National CALD Disability Inclusion Summit this week, more than 200 people joined a national call for disability reform that better reflects Australia’s cultural diversity.
Bringing together people with disability, community leaders, advocates, health professionals and policymakers, the summit turned the spotlight on practical solutions to the language, cultural and systemic barriers preventing multicultural Australians from accessing disability support.
SSI General Manager Children, Families and Disability Support, Ben Fioramonte, said Australia speaks more than 300 languages, with almost one in four people speaking a language other than English at home. Yet our disability support system does not always reflect this reality.
With major disability reforms underway, SSI’s National CALD Disability Inclusion Summit put a critical issue on the table: how do we make cultural inclusion part of the foundations of reform, rather than an afterthought?
Mr Fioramonte said the summit placed people with lived experience at the centre of the conversation, recognising their critical role in shaping solutions.
“Australia’s disability system is changing. We have an opportunity to ensure these reforms work for the full diversity of the Australian community. Today, we’ve brought together the voices that can shape that. The focus is on practical solutions and lived experience voices.”
Consultations with community leaders and stakeholders found people with disability from CALD backgrounds also face limited access to culturally safe and trauma-informed services, a lack of accessible information and underrepresentation in leadership and advocacy.
Also speaking at the summit, Sara Shams, Founder, Ethnobility Consultancy, said we cannot build an inclusive disability system if we continue to overlook the diversity of people with disability.
“For people from migrant and refugee backgrounds, experiences of disability are often shaped by culture, language, gender and community. These intersecting experiences need to be reflected in how services are designed, how decisions are made and whose voices are heard. Meaningful inclusion means moving beyond consultation to ensuring people with lived experience have genuine influence in shaping the systems that affect their lives,” she said.
Other speakers at the event included Michael Perusco from National Disability Services, Professor Frank Oberklaid from Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Sylvana Mahmic from Plumtree Children’s Services, and Ben Fioramonte from SSI.
The summit showcased practical tools, culturally responsive approaches and proven co-designed models that organisations can apply immediately to improve cultural safety and accessibility.
It also highlighted opportunities in current NDIS reforms to strengthen equity and inclusion, in line with priorities in the NDIS Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Strategy and Action Plan 2024-2028 and the federal Multicultural Framework Review.
Both the strategy and the review point to a need for greater disability awareness, peer support and leadership development within culturally diverse communities. The review also found that recognition alone is not enough to build a sense of belonging, and that active engagement and contribution are essential.
SSI also presented on its National Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Advisory Committee and its Pathways to Possibilities Project.
About us:
Settlement Services International (SSI) delivers a range of human services that connect individuals, families, and children from diverse backgrounds with opportunities – including settlement support, disability programs, community engagement initiatives and training and employment pathways. At the heart of everything we do is a drive for equality, empathy, and celebration of every individual.
