Community attitudes around disability have been brought into sharp focus with a series of new podcasts.
The six-episode set of The Attitude Podcasts was produced in response to a 2021 national survey that found Australians are confused about disability, with 78 per cent of respondents agreeing people are unsure how to act around people with disability, to exploring why 61 per cent agreed people often make fun of disability.
The Attitude Foundation joined up with disability services provider Northcott to develop the series.
Hosted by former Attitude Foundation CEO and disability advocate, Angel Dixon the podcast unpacks personal and societal attitudes towards disability, their impact on people with disability and how to move closer to inclusion. It includes candid conversations with screenwriter, actor and producer Emily Dash, self-labelled ‘political nerd’ Todd Winther, filmmaker Johanna Garvin and singer/songwriter Emma Bennison.
“The Attitude Foundation exists to improve Australia’s understanding of disability. When we saw the results of the Melbourne Disability Institute community survey, we were not surprised but saddened by the reality of limited and misinformed attitudes,” Attitude Foundation CEO Matt Field said.
“We saw an opportunity to use first-hand stories by people who experience the impact of limited attitudes daily to bring life to the data and remind everyone that people are on the other end of statistics like this.”
Northcott CEO Liz Forsyth said collaborating with Attitude Foundation aligns strongly with Northcott’s purpose to build an inclusive society.
“This podcast has provided a platform for people with disability to tell their stories and discuss their opinions on community attitudes. It’s given the guests a way to inform the rest of the community about their lives, from the ordinariness of living with disability to the complexities,” she said.
To listen go to: https://powerd.media/audios/series/attitudes-about-disability