New Wave is a self advocacy group run by people with an intellectual disability or acquired brain injury.
We work together to make sure we have the same rights, choices and opportunities as anyone else in the community.
At group meetings, we…
Learn self advocacy skills
Help each other with problems
Plan activities that raise awareness for people with disabilities
Find out about self advocacy events, like forums in Melbourne
Talk about how to make decisions
Learn about the NDIS
Have guest speakers visit
Do fun activities
Our Projects
Setting up new branches of New Wave self advocacy in Leongatha and Wonthaggi to reach more people with disability in Victoria who need to learn about their rights
Running peer support meetings where members talk about issues
Planning what to do in certain situations using role plays and discussions
Working with VALID to arrange a meeting of self advocacy groups in Gippsland
Working with Sexual Lives and Respectful Relationships to train peer workers for the next round of sessions
We completed the Voice at the Table training and our self advocates are finding positions on boards, committees and panels
Lobbying for issues we care about, for example, road safety and public transport
Our Issues
Public Transport in Gippsland
Centrelink being too difficult to access – forms in jargon
Self Advocacy Matters
Self Advocacy matters to our group so we have a voice to be heard. We love to advocate for ourselves as well as for other people – we use what we learn to help others. We want to see more Easy English and no jargon in the community.