VMHPAA Celebrates the International Day of People with Disability: Championing Inclusion, Accessibility, and Mental Health Equity
- Shane Warren
- Dec 3
- 2 min read
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
3 December 2025
Today, the Vocational Mental Health Practitioners Association of Australia (VMHPAA) proudly joins communities across the nation and around the world in recognising the International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) — a national celebration promoting understanding, inclusion, and empowerment of people with disability.
This year’s theme, “Leaders, Not Labels,” highlights the contributions, talents, and leadership of people with disability, while calling on all sectors to remove barriers that limit full participation.
VMHPAA acknowledges that people with disability continue to face disproportionate challenges in accessing culturally safe, trauma-informed, and disability-aware mental health support. These barriers from physical access issues to service exclusion, funding gaps, and stigma, contribute to poorer wellbeing outcomes that are preventable.
VMHPAA Chair Shane Warren emphasised the critical role of accessible mental health services:“Disability is not the barrier, systems are. Mental health support must meet people where they are, honour their lived experience, and remove the walls that society has built. When we listen, include, and make space, people with disability not only participate, they lead.”
Vocationally trained practitioners, including counsellors, psychosocial workers, lived experience workers, and community mental health professionals, play a frontline role in:
Providing accessible counselling and psychosocial support
Upholding client autonomy and communication needs
Supporting identity, dignity, and self-determination
Building inclusive, community-based care pathways
Reducing stigma through education and advocacy
VMHPAA encourages government, services, and community organisations to:
Strengthen funding for disability-aware mental health supports
Recognise vocationally trained practitioners within disability and mental health workforce strategies
Ensure all services are physically, culturally, linguistically, and psychologically accessible
Elevate the voices and leadership of people with disability in decision-making
Promote inclusive practice across education, health, and community settings
On this International Day of People with Disability, VMHPAA reaffirms its commitment to a mental health ecosystem where every person - with or without disability - is respected, valued, and supported to live a meaningful, connected, and empowered life.
Media Contact:
Shane Warren, Chair
Susan Sandy, Secretary
Philip Armstrong, CEO
Comments