CPActive is our grassroots advocacy community that brings together people with cerebral palsy and allies who are passionate about creating positive change. There are 30 CPActive Champions who work tirelessly on making change with working groups on specific concerns.
Four of our Champions, Sophie Geeves, Riley Saban, Saranna Shultz and Nicholas Lapsley,
shared with the Minister the key three asks of the Blaze The Trail campaign, and gave him an update of all the activities and impact it has had in NSW over the last two years when the then incoming NSW Labor government committed to an Inclusive School to Work Pathways policy including;
Clear, consistent, and enforceable guidelines for support around assessments at school and university for students living with disability
Pathways for people living with disability to enter the teaching workforce
A state-wide initiative supporting the development of pathways for students living with disability into large businesses, government departments and community organisations.
The Minister responded candidly and with real admiration for the pioneering work of the CPActive Champions. They impressed him with their intelligent and considered response to their time in the education system – where careers advisors’ low expectations of what they could achieve post-school was palpable and how they pursued tertiary studies despite it.
The CPActive Champions continued to advocate for an inclusive education while undertaking their degrees and discussed in the session what the Minister might be able to inspire across the university sector in his new upcoming role as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canberra.
The Minister gave some very valid and important advice as to how to scale this campaign, both in NSW and beyond. He talked about the importance of education for people with disability, wanting to see significantly more people with disabilities in organisational leadership positions, and about supporting the education system to provide good experiences for all students.
We were so incredibly grateful that the Minister gave us his time and engagement today. Watch this space for what the CPActive Champions do next! In the meantime, please visit CPActive.org.au to download the BTT Impact Report 2024 and sign the petition.
