What we do

Advocacy for Disability Access & Inclusion aims to:

• Provide advocacy support for a person living with disability to have a voice in decisions that affect his/her life
• Provide advocacy support for family members who need to speak on behalf of the family member living with disability
• Stand with and help individuals living with disability and families caring for a person living with disability to gain access to services or to improve services
• Encourage, empower and support people living with disability toward independence through self advocacy
• Encourage, empower and support family members, parent groups and networks to advocate for family members living with disability
• Provide information on opportunities for people living with disability and their families to gain the skills to advocate
• Ensure people living with disability, their families and carers gain access to and attain their rights and entitlements under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disability

What we do

• Help families gain access to services
• Support parent groups and networks
• Assist individuals, parents and carers to advocate for improved or new services
• Promote community involvement
• Provide information

What we don’t do

• Provide emergency, crisis care or case work services 
• Take over job of other co-ordinators or case workers
• Take over a person's life (or problems) and make all the decisions for the person or their family
• Stop people helping themselves
• Make people feel helpless or dependent
• Keep people "in the dark" and do everything for them
• Try to control individuals and families
• Expect individuals and families to "make do" with services
• Accept poor services
• Pretend the problem does not exist
• Stop individuals and parents from becoming activists

The ADAI Individual Capacity Building (ICB) Program is funded by the Australian Government under the Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) Program. Our mission is simple but powerful: to empower people with disability, their families, and carers with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to navigate life, services, and uphold their rights.

What We Aim to Achieve

We work alongside people with disability to:

1. Build skills and confidence to access and navigate disability, health, and community services.
2. Increase awareness of rights and support people to exercise those rights.
3. Advocate for equality, accessibility & inclusion, exploring new ideas and practices that create lasting change.

How We Do It

Our activities include:

1. Workshops and training on disability rights, self-advocacy, and navigating complex systems.
2. Practical support and resources designed with and for people with disability.
3. Peer-to-peer programs and Facilitators with lived experience.

Who We Work With

Whilst open to all, the ICB Program prioritises support for:

1. People with disability living in rural and remote areas
2. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability
3. Children and young people (0–21 years) with disability
4. Women with disability
5. Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities
6. LGBTIQA+ people with disability

Our Regional Delivery Strategy

We focus on bridging service gaps in non-metropolitan areas by:

1. Employing local Program Facilitators who understand their communities.
2. Recruiting staff with lived experience of disability, caring, or advocacy.
3. Maintaining local and regional offices in Mount Gambier, Berri, Port Augusta, and Adelaide.

Community-Driven and Accessible

We make our services accessible through:

1. An expanded website with up-to-date information and resources
2. Active social media channels for connection and updates
3. Our Self-Advocacy Information Telephone Line for support anytime (08 8340 4450)