VALID

Getting older is part of life for all of us.

People with Down syndrome deserve good information and support to help them stay healthy, independent and connected as they age.

Down Syndrome Australia has created a range of free resources about ageing, including information on dementia, mental health, menopause, grief and loss, and staying healthy.

Take a look and share with someone who might find them useful:

Ageing Well with Down Syndrome Supporting healthy ageing and wellbeing for people with Down syndrome People with Down syndrome are living longer than ever before. […]

More cervical screening information sessions are coming soon.

These sessions help women with intellectual disability learn about cervical screening and make informed choices about their health.

Upcoming sessions:

📍 Bundoora - 1 July
📍 Collingwood - 13 July
📍 Ringwood - 20 July
📍 Maidstone - 4 August

To find out more about these sessions and other VALID Connect events, visit:
https://validconnect.org.au/

You can also contact Zoe at:
📧 [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

Disability workers play an important role in supporting the rights, safety and wellbeing of people with disability.

The Victorian Disability Worker Commission is offering a free webinar series to help disability workers understand and apply the Code of Conduct in their everyday work.

The final session will focus on preventing and responding to violence, exploitation, neglect and abuse of people with disability.

📅 23 June, 10am–11am
💻 Online
🎟️ Free

Register here:

Code of Conduct webinar series Webinar series hosted by VDWC about the Disability Service Safeguards Code of Conduct.

What does a good life look like to you?

Participants in the I Can Decide In My Language project created vision boards to explore their goals, interests and dreams. It's all about helping people make decisions that are right for them.

Learn more about the project:
https://valid.org.au/i-can-decide-i-do-supported-decision-making-in-my-language/

We’re not going back; to the abuse, the neglect, the exploitation and the discrimination regularly experienced by people with intellectual disability before the NDIS. It hasn’t been perfect but the NDIS and what it promised is worth fighting for. Be part of the conversation at VALID’s Advocacy in Action Conference on June 22 & 23, 2026 from 9.00am to 4.30pm at the Novotel Hotel Function Centre. To register, go to Humanitix at: https://events.humanitix.com/advocacy-in-action-conference-2026 Please contact the VALID Office for more information. Phone: (03) 9416 4003. Email: [email protected]

ID: Light blue social media tile. VALID logo along the top. Text: “WE’RE NOT GOING BACK. Voices must be heard. The future must include us.” Collage of photos featuring self advocates speaking up at last year’s Advocacy in Action conference. Along the bottom an orange banner with the graphic of a person holding a megaphone. Text: “June 22 and 23. Advocacy in Action Conference 2026. Register Now.”

Platforming the biggest issue for our community right now, VALID’s Advocacy in Action conference will this year focus closely on the proposed NDIS changes and how they will impact people with intellectual disability, their families and supporters. As a powerful figure who relentlessly advocated for the implementation of the NDIS, this year’s Conference will also welcome VALID founder and former CEO Kevin Stone AM. Kevin will critique what the NDIS has become, where it went wrong and the proposed changes that will gut what people with disability and their allies fought so hard for. The 2026 Advocacy in Action Conference will be held on June 22 & 23, 2026 from 9.00am to 4.30pm each day at the Novotel Hotel Function Centre. To register, go to Humanitix at: https://events.humanitix.com/advocacy-in-action-conference-2026 Please contact the VALID Office for more information. Phone: (03) 9416 4003. Email: [email protected]

ID: Light blue social media tile. VALID logo along the top. Text: “Voices must be heard. The future must include us. WE’RE NOT GOING BACK.” Photo of a self advocate Gregory speaking into a microphone at last year’s Advocacy in Action conference. Along the bottom an orange banner with the graphic of a person holding a megaphone. Text: “June 22 and 23. Advocacy in Action Conference 2026. Register Now.”

VALID's Employment Advocacy team can help people with disability understand their rights, solve workplace problems and get the support they need.

✅ Free support
✅ No NDIS funding needed
✅ Available across Victoria

📞 (03) 9416 4003
📧 [email protected]

Read more in our Easy Read guidehttps://valid.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Easy-Read-from-Side-by-Side-Copy-Original-Final.pdf

"When decisions are made about the NDIS, people with disability need to be at the centre of the conversation."

Self Advocate, Luke Nelson, shares his concerns about the proposed NDIS changes in this ABC News story.

As a strong self advocate, Luke reminds us why lived experience matters and why people with disability must be heard when policies that affect their lives are being discussed.

Read the article:

'Slap in the face': Mother's scathing assessment of NDIS bill Exhausted families could be plunged further into crisis and have greater interaction with child protection services under the proposed overhaul of the NDIS, advocates say.

Last year VALID’s Advocacy in Action conference brought self advocates with intellectual disability to the front of conversations about their lives. Alongside industry experts and policymakers people with lived experience will once again share their experience and expertise on the issues that matter. This year the focus will be squarely on the proposed changes to the NDIS. Guest speaker Maeve Kennedy, CEO of Inclusion Australia will share the National representative organisation’s position on the proposed NDIS changes and how our community can coordinate our concerns and mobilise our impact.

The 2026 Advocacy in Action Conference will be held on June 22 & 23, 2026 from 9.00am to 4.30pm each day at the Novotel Hotel Function Centre. To register, go to Humanitix at: https://events.humanitix.com/advocacy-in-action-conference-2026. There are also huge discounts for NDIS participants and their family members. Please contact the VALID Office for more information. Phone: (03) 9416 4003. Email: [email protected]

ID: Light blue social media tile. VALID logo along the top. Text: “Voices must be heard. The future must include us. WE’RE NOT GOING BACK.” Photo of a self advocate Hala speaking into a microphone at last year’s Advocacy in Action conference. Along the bottom an orange banner with the graphic of a person holding a megaphone. Text: “June 22 and 23. Advocacy in Action Conference 2026. Register Now.”

Stories can change minds. Stories can change communities. Stories can change systems.

When people with intellectual disability share their experiences, they help others understand the barriers they face, the changes they want to see and the importance of inclusion.

VALID Voices is built on a simple idea: people with disability should have opportunities to tell their own stories in their own words.

Join us for VALID Conversations to hear from speakers involved in this exciting new initiative and learn why lived experience matters.

Register here:
https://events.humanitix.com/valid-conversations-2

VALID Conversations: lived experience in action VALID Conversations is a new webinar series led by people with disability.