What is Having a Say all about?
What is Having a Say?
The Having a Say (HaS) has become the largest conference for people with disabilities within Australia, with 500 – 600 people with disability attending along with their families and supporters.
It is a self-advocacy and peer support activity where people find their voice, learn to speak up, are heard, and are respected.
This is the place where:
- people listen to each other, not just to the speakers on stage.
- people respect each other’s views and opinions, and
- celebrate their common cause.
The Aim of HaS
HaS aims to empower people with a disability with the opportunity to ‘have a say’ about issues that affect their lives and to celebrate ability and achievement.
People enjoy coming to HaS for a range of reasons:
- as keen advocates for other people with disability, they want to discuss issues and have a say.
- they find the whole environment empowering.
- to have a say, such as open microphone to present or perform.
- to meet other people with similar interests and/or concerns.
- some people are excited to tell their story or share their achievement(s).
- and then some people just want to have fun!
We often get comments on the Evaluation Forms saying things like “It was great I felt important because everyone listened to what I said”.
HISTORY of HaS
Where did HaS start?
The inaugural Having a Say was held in Maryborough in the year 2000. It was attended by 190 people and the enthusiasm generated that year has inspired the conference to grow.
The first conference was planned and conducted by a group of services from central Victoria, with Asteria Services leading the group. VALID was involved in the committee as the peak statewide advocacy service.
The conference has continued to have a Planning Committee that has a majority of members with lived experience of disability.
HaS was the first ‘self-advocacy’ conference for people with intellectual and cognitive disability. Back in the 2000’s, almost all conferences were for workers, managers, government and ‘services’. So, HaS stood out as the place the people with intellectual and other disabilities could both hear from those who made the decisions and raise their issues directly.
As the years went by, other activities were added to the event, such as, Come & Try activities, Talent Show, Art Competition, the expo and self-advocacy awards. So, HaS is an event with seven events within it that celebrate the achievement of, and and promote empowerment the of people with disability.
Finding a home in Geelong
By 2005, the conference was too large for rural venues, so Geelong was chosen as the venue for 2006. The conference has had fantastic support from local disability services, Deakin University, City of Greater Geelong, Tourism Greater Geelong and Bellarine and the Local Reference Committee.
If you’d like to read more about the conference, below are a few of the Conference Reports from over the years.
