Access and Inclusion

Recognising communication as a human right and building accessible and inclusive society for people with communication support needs

The Foundation supports and empowers those living with disability and has a particular focus on helping ensure people have the ability to effectively communicate. The Foundation has invested in expanding access to telerehabilitation services and services for those with aphasia, programs providing communication aids for children with complex needs and expanding employment opportunities for people with a communication disability.

The Queensland Aphasia Rehabilitation Centre brings clinicians, researchers, support groups, professional groups and consumers together to optimise the lives of people affected by stroke and with complex rehabilitation needs. The Aphasia Centre opened in 2022. BFF is proud to support the creation of the first dedicated aphasia rehabilitation centre in Australia, providing innovative and collaborative approaches to the treatment of aphasia. The Foundation is currently supporting the expansion of service provision via TeleChat across Queensland.

The Australian Disability Network supports over 450 major employers to become accessible, inclusive, and disability confident workplaces. BFF funds supported the inclusion of communication support questions in their Access and Inclusion Index. This helpful benchmarking tool identifies organisational strengths and future opportunities as well as ongoing progress over time.

BFF support helped SCOPE create the KidsChat program, focusing on assisting children with complex communication needs. The program provides parents, carers and speech pathologists with a variety of communication aids, practical advice, and guidance on accessing support through the NDIS, as well as one-on-one family consultations throughout Victoria. The program is now a core component of SCOPE’s services. BFF has provided support for other social inclusion and accessibility programs operated by Scope including Go Kids mobility services and Tools2Talk, an app enabling parents and supporters to create tailored communication aids.

A BFF gift assisted the University of Queensland establish Australia’s first Telerehabilitation Clinic. Established in 2015, the clinic provides speech, audio, occupational therapy, and physiotherapy services to local, rural, and regional patients. It also provides allied health students with skills and expertise to deliver telehealth services.

The impacts have been substantial. Many locations providing services across Queensland, many hundreds of allied health students now trained in telehealth delivery, and thousands of people are now accessing services previously unavailable to them.

A BFF gift established the Zoos Victoria Endowment, a fund to grow the capacity to fight extinction, nurture animals, provide learning experiences and develop world leading zoo staff.

Endowment earnings are used to support disability initiatives including Dream Night. This special event, solely for children with disabilities and their families, enables them to experience the zoo free from barriers that can prevent them from visiting.

Additional support has created an Access and Inclusion Coordination position, implementing initiatives to ensure all locations are fully accessible and inclusive, and that Zoos Victoria is a world-best place to visit, work, and volunteer.