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One of the key issues that the Attitude Foundation is addressing is the realistic portrayal of people with disability in television shows.

The Attitude Foundation is seeking to change mainstream attitudes towards people with disability, particularly the way that people with disability are portrayed in the media.

The inclusion of people with disabilities in the SBS television dating program Undressed is valuable in guiding viewers on how to talk to people with disability and in including them as part of a mainstream program.

Attitude Foundation director Catia Malaquias was featured this week by Pro Bono Australia as a significant change maker.

The Attitude Foundation, together with its principal partner ANZ, has selected award-winning production company Taste Creative to film a television series promoting the valuable contribution of people with disabilities within Australian communities.

In Australia where almost one in five citizens have a disability, it is imperative that government and industry work with the disability sector towards a more inclusive future.

The following speech was delivered by Catia Malaquias at the Social Forum 2016 – Side Event, held by the United Nations Council for Human Rights on 3 October at the Palais Des Nations in Geneva.

People with disabilities are significantly under-represented on Australian TV. Seeing Ourselves, a five-year report into diversity in Australian TV drama, released by Screen Australia, highlights this problem according to the Attitude Foundation.

It had been raining steadily for four days, and the question of whether the fete would go ahead on Saturday was constantly up for discussion at the family dinner table.

When my son Julius was born and I was told that he had Down syndrome, I felt that I had no reference point for what his life and our life as a family might look like.