A Time of Celebration and Reflection

A message from our CEO.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

December is indeed a time of celebration and reflection. At Scope, we celebrated with our Annual Awards, a fitting tribute to a year of excitement and challenge as we ushered in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

We also held our Annual General Meeting (AGM), which was a great opportunity to engage with Scope members. We continue to be a proud member based organisation and are grateful for the continued support of our members.

You can read more about the awards and AGM highlights  on our website.

This issue also shares a story that demonstrates the passions and individuality of the people we support – Ben Hill’s remarkable achievement at the Melbourne Marathon festival. Ben’s story also highlights the importance of community as volunteers, family and staff worked together to help him achieve his goal.

The biggest focus for this year has been supporting customers in North East Metropolitan Melbourne to transition to the NDIS. Our approach has been to equip people we support and families with understanding of how the scheme works, and how to prepare for planning and goal setting – a very important part of the NDIS.

We’ve rolled out information sessions in the North, and also to Ballarat, Bendigo, Ovens Murray, Goulburn and East Metropolitan Melbourne and these will continue to the rest of Scope early next year.

I encourage you to come along to these sessions, they really are essential building blocks to understanding how your supports will work in the new scheme.

Scope also recently celebrated International Day of People with Disability, on Saturday, 3rd December. This United Nations (UN) sanctioned day promotes an understanding of people with a disability and encourage support for their human rights.

This philosophy is at the heart of Scope’s mission, and while the funding framework changes, the essence of who we are remains. We continue to advocate and support for people with complex needs and actively seek to elevate their voices to government and the wider community.

On behalf of Scope, thank you for your continued support throughout 2016. We have a big year ahead, but by working together we can continue to support people with a disability to achieve their potential in welcoming and inclusive communities.

I wish you all a safe and happy Christmas.

Dr Jennifer Fitzgerald, Scope CEO

Image: Scope President Mark Burrowes, Dr Jennifer Fitzgerald and Debbie Otto award winner Kerrin Braithwaite at Scope’s 2016 Annual Awards.