On 4th May 2023, representatives from self-advocacy groups met with Rebecca Falkingham, the CEO of the NDIA. The NDIA is the government agency that runs the NDIS. The meeting was organised by the Victorian Self-Advocacy Network (VSAN). The representative from DBV was Trudy Ryall.

Trudy said “I represented on behalf of Deafblind Victoria and presented about the barriers the deafblind people face. And a great need of increasing the funding for advocacy groups.”

Great work Trudy! We hope that this meeting will help the NDIA understand how important it is to fund the work of groups like Deafblind Victoria where people with disabilities represent ourselves and our communities.

The photos show Trudy and Rebecca standing together smiling, and a group picture with self advocates, including DBV’s Andrew Howard with Trudy, interpreters and support.