Advocacy can sound like a big responsibility, but at its heart, it’s simply about speaking up when something affects you or your community.
For people living with disability, many of the barriers that shape everyday life are local. Inaccessible footpaths, missing kerb ramps, limited accessible parking, housing barriers and community access can all affect how easy it is to move through the world and participate in the community independently.
The good news is that local change is often possible. It can start with something as simple as a conversation, an email, raising a concern with local council or speaking up about a barrier you’ve experienced.
In this five-part video series, members of the SCIA Advocacy community share their experiences of identifying barriers, speaking up and working towards practical solutions. Together, they explore what advocacy is, why local issues matter, and how individuals can work with local councils and communities to create positive change.
Whether you’re reporting an issue for the first time or looking for new ways to get involved in your community, this series offers practical advice, real-world examples, and ideas to help you take the next step.
Local Change Series
Video 1: What is advocacy?
In this video, SCIA Advocacy Officer Tony Jones and community advocate Sara Chesterman explore what advocacy means, why it matters, and how everyday people can create change by sharing their experiences and raising issues that affect them.
Video 2: Why local issues are important
In this video, SCIA Advocacy Officer Tony Jones and Advocacy volunteer Raja Relf discuss why local issues matter and explore how individuals and communities can work together to improve accessibility and inclusion.
Video 3: Join your local council meetings
Getting involved with your local council can be a powerful way to influence change. In this video, Tony Jones and Sara Chesterman share their experiences of engaging with local councils and explain how you can participate in advisory groups, consultations and council meetings to help improve accessibility in your community.
Video 4: Raise and report issues that impact you
In this video, SCIA Advocacy volunteers Nabila Laskar and Jayne Boardman share practical ways to report accessibility barriers, raise concerns with councils, and use available tools and processes to help address issues in the community.
Video 5: Don’t take no for an answer
Creating change can take time, and not every issue is resolved straight away. In this final video, SCIA Advocacy Officer Tony Jones and Advocacy volunteer Raja Relf discuss the importance of persistence, problem-solving and exploring different pathways when seeking change. They share how ongoing advocacy can help turn concerns into meaningful outcomes for the community.
Every voice can make a difference
Local advocacy is about sharing lived experience, working together and helping create communities that are more accessible and inclusive for everyone.
SCIA Advocacy works alongside people with disability to provide information, support and opportunities to get involved in advocacy on issues that matter.
To learn more or to contact the team about advocacy and your rights, visit the SCIA Advocacy page.
Interested in learning more about how recent NDIS changes? Explore SCIA Advocacy’s NDIS Changes video series on the Resource Hub.
