Our (broader) Vision
abilityNEWS is driven by a simple vision: “to advance the care and support of people with disability by creating a community through the sharing of information.”
Our aim is to enable every individual to live their best possible life.
We don’t have specific prescriptions about which choices people should make. Everyone needs to find their own path into the future. Our aim is simply to ensure everyone understands the decisions they’re making. This is particularly vital in Australia today.
The NDIS created a market for disability care, an environment where everybody can find a care package that’s just right for them. To do that people need to know what’s going on in the market. And that’s why we’ve started abilityNEWS; to inform.
As a first step down the path towards empowering the disability community we’re focusing on providing the news you need to be aware of to make informed decisions.
This is how we’ve arrived at our mission: “to provide timely and relevant information for the disability community.”
It’s a simple task: translating it into practice is where it becomes more complex. What’s vital is to have a sustainable model that will allow us to inform the sector and continue developing new products targeted at specific groups in our community.
We’re here for everyone involved in disability issues, both those with a disability and those supporting us. Perhaps you are reading this because someone you love has a disability. Maybe you’re reading because you’re a disability support worker who needs information. Or you might be a scientific researcher wanting to tell people about your work in this field. It doesn’t matter how you arrived at this point, you need to know about what’s happening in the sector. That’s why we’re focusing, initially, on news.
To get started we needed a decisive, concrete, and achievable objective. That’s why we’ve begun by providing news about disability issues. We want to demonstrate you can rely on us to provide you with the information you need to empower you to make decisions.
The important point is that abilityNEWS is going to keep developing and expanding.
News began with people telling stories around a campfire. Back then, such tales helped us understand how the world worked. In the modern world, however, the idea of news as information we can use to navigate society has been debased. Instead of informing us about what we need to know, it’s become a stream of sensation that is almost impossible to escape.
There’s so much news coming at you that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to work out what’s important so you can act on it. It sometimes seems as if everybody wants your attention, but only to push their own barrow or sell things.
We want to help you escape the hype surrounding this daily bombardment and provide you with the information you need to make sense of what’s happening. By offering concise, impartial summaries, combined with our own reports on really significant issues, we aim to equip you with all the tools you need to understand what’s occurred so that you can live your best life.
The way we do this is by producing different newsletters (or ‘products’). Rather than offering you a curated feed, where you don’t know what you’re missing out on, we take you to the source. Our different newsletters are each curated for a different audience to provide comprehensive summaries of the news and draw attention to what’s important.
In future we’ll be adding more newsletters and developing our website as a repository of disability information. In the meantime, our flagship product is the Daily.
This consists of a Big Story (the biggest issue of the day); the Wire (what disability organisations are saying to each other); the Wrap (what the media is reporting about disability issues); and the Diary (a calendar of coming events). All of these sections are designed to provide precise, complete, and comprehensive, short summaries of the news. Think of it as a five-minute read that allows you to understand what’s really going on.
In future we’ll be adding regional and specific disability-focussed newsletters. Even more importantly, we’ll be providing a searchable website so the stories build a significant resource that people can consult.
But today that’s still in the future. So let’s instead just inform you about what’s happening in the disability space and provide you with the context behind these events so you can make sense of them.
Because that’s news . . .
Our objective is simple: to inform, connect, and empower.
We believe that people need information to choose the right path for them as individuals. We believe that if we offer people a voice they will take the opportunity to share and grow as part of a community. And we believe that recognition and the chance to be heard is a vital part of living a worthwhile, empowered life.
abilityNEWS is built on this foundation of core values that guide every story we share, every resource we highlight, and every conversation we spark. We are committed, firstly and primarily, to sharing information about what is happening. We do not endorse everything we report, but we do believe it is vital to share everything. Most importantly though, we aim in this way to foster a community that uplifts people with disabilities, celebrates diverse experiences, and advocates for a more inclusive world.
Inclusion and Belonging
We believe in a world where everyone is welcomed, valued, and empowered. We will actively seek out and celebrate diverse voices—from varying abilities, cultures, and backgrounds—to build a richer, more representative narrative of what it means to live with a disability.
Accessibility
We are committed to delivering content that is easy to access, understand, and share, regardless of physical or digital barriers. We strive to ensure that every reader can fully engage with our content.
Empowerment
We strive for a more accessible society, where innovations and ideas break down the barriers that limit potential. We aim to empower our readers by providing them with information, inspiration, and opportunities to shape their own narratives.
Authenticity and Transparency
Our commitment is to honest storytelling. We prioritize authenticity and transparency and our goal is to create content that is genuine, informative, and free. We will be clear about our processes, our sources, and the intent behind our work.
Community and Collaboration
We are striving to create a collaborative community. We celebrate partnerships with individuals, organizations, and advocates who share our vision of inclusivity and empowerment. We hope to create a network that drives progress in disability advocacy.
Innovation and Resilience
We are committed to exploring new ideas, technologies, and news of every kind. Our stories highlight not only challenges but also the creative solutions and breakthroughs that redefine success in the face of adversity.
In all that we do, abilityNEWS remains dedicated to championing the rights, talents, and aspirations of people with disabilities. Our values are the compass that guide our editorial choices and ensure we can progressing toward a world where everyone can thrive.