International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD)
GSA's 2025 wrap-up
Reflecting on IDPwD 2025
This International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD), we joined partners across sectors who are putting inclusion into action, in workplaces, community sport, major events, and tourism. Each collaboration reinforces a shared belief – accessibility isn’t a one-off initiative, it’s how we build environments where everyone can Just Be.
Tourism Australia
A year of inclusive growth
Image source: Tourism Australia
Tourism Australia marked IDPwD 2025 by celebrating a year of progress in accessible travel, including the co-design and launch of its first Disability and Inclusion Action Plan with GSA.
The plan provides a practical framework for embedding accessibility across tourism marketing, industry engagement, and workplace culture.
From the expansion of the Accessible Asset Hub to 1,400+ completions of the Accessible Australia training module, the organisation continues to demonstrate leadership in inclusive tourism.
Australian Grand Prix Corporation
Embedding accessibility
On 3 December, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) launched its new Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP), reaffirming its long-term partnership with Get Skilled Access (GSA).
As organisers of both the Formula 1® Australian Grand Prix and Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, AGPC continues to demonstrate that inclusion is a key part of world-class event delivery. The new DIAP outlines clear actions to advance accessibility across its operations, workforce, and fan experience.
GSA has proudly supported AGPC since 2019 through multiple DIAPs, accessibility reviews, and event-day inclusion initiatives, including closed captioning on all race screens, sensory spaces, accessible transport, and Auslan-interpreted fan forums.
Image source: Australian Grand Prix Corporation LinkedIn
Western Bulldogs Community Foundation
Building inclusive communities through disability awareness
Together with the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation (WBCF), our consultants and Sport4All Inclusion Coaches delivered tailored disability awareness sessions through the Sons of the West and Daughters of the West programs.
Across 6 local government areas, these sessions reached more than 700 participants, exploring barriers, language, and practical ways to make community health programs inclusive for all. Led by lived experience, the sessions created safe spaces for open, respectful learning, a powerful model for embedding inclusion beyond sport.
Ability Fest
Evolving accessibility in live music
Now in its fifth year, Ability Fest continues to set the benchmark for accessible and inclusive live music experiences. Founded by the Dylan Alcott Foundation and supported by GSA, the festival demonstrates that accessibility and creativity can work hand in hand, enhancing audience experience rather than limiting it.
This year, ABC News highlighted how sensory and low-stimulation spaces are becoming integral to festivals, with Zack Alcott, Co-CEO of GSA and Co-Founder of Ability Fest, noting the event’s broader impact, creating environments where people with sensory needs can enjoy live music comfortably while also strengthening the industry through greater participation.
In 2025, the festival was also nominated for Best Music Festival at the ARIA Awards, further recognising its influence as a national model of inclusive design and culture.
Sport4All
Progress in Play: The Future of Inclusive Sport [Webinar]
On IDPwD 2025, our national program Sport4All hosted a 90-minute webinar, Progress in Play: The Future of Inclusive Sport, bringing together lived-experience voices, community leaders, and sector partners.
With more than 147 live attendees, the discussion focused on how sport systems, councils, and clubs can embed inclusion beyond participation.
Key takeaways included the power of representation, collaboration, and everyday actions that make sport a place to belong for everyone.
Live Nation Australia
Representation through music
In the lead-up to IDPwD 2025, Live Nation Australia hosted its Ones to Watch finale, curated by award-winning artist and disability advocate Eliza Hull. The event celebrated artists with disability, including R.em.edy, Mathilde Anne, and Cooper Smith, spotlighting authentic representation across the music industry.
GSA has been pleased to support Live Nation’s accessibility journey in recent years, as initiatives like this show the growing momentum toward more inclusive live experiences, a message that aligns strongly with our Just Be campaign.
Training and Capability
GSA's tailored disability inclusion sessions
Our disability inclusion and awareness sessions are designed to create practical change, helping teams build confidence, challenge assumptions, and translate inclusion into everyday action. Delivered both in person and online, each session is tailored to the organisation’s goals, audience, and context, whether for small leadership groups or large staff cohorts.
Grounded in lived experience, these workshops bring together real stories, open discussion, and accessible design principles to help participants better understand disability and the barriers people face.
In the lead-up to IDPwD 2025, we worked with organisations across health, education, and corporate sectors to strengthen inclusion in their workplaces and communities.
Just Be
The message behind it all
Every story this IDPwD connects to one shared idea: inclusion lets people just be. Through our Just Be campaign, seven lived-experience stories and one national message, we’re continuing to reframe accessibility as a driver of culture, connection, and community.
