WHISE is proud to have participated in a Women’s Health and Wellbeing Capacity-Building project with Women with Disabilities Victoria, which aimed to incorporate a disability and inclusion lens into our Prevention of Violence Against Women (PVAW) initiatives. We partnered with Bayside City Council and identified Communications and Events as the two key areas within WHISE to enhance disability inclusion practice. 

We learned that to succeed, we would need to ensure WHISE leaders are connected to the project, that there is shared responsibility across the organisation, to embed disability inclusion in regular check-ins, and to set achievable goals for our Action Plan. A Reflective Practice Journal was established for staff to share their insights. Key themes that emerged were the importance of taking incremental steps, recognising our influence, and prioritising accessibility. 

Looking ahead, WHISE will enhance our PVAW communications and events, update our Style Guide, implement an accessible event checklist, and integrate a disability inclusion lens into our policies, procedures, and recruitment processes. 

WHISE extends our gratitude to Yihan Li, who drove this project from April 2023 until April 2024. Her efforts laid the groundwork for our ongoing initiatives.