Ability Beyond Boundaries
About us
People with disability are at the front and centre of Ability Beyond Boundaries, having leading roles on our Board, as staff, and as our spokespersons. Similarly, this site is designed with the assistance of professionals who have lived experiences of disability, to convey our messages to people with disabilities, their family, friends and carers. As disabled persons themselves, the founders of ABB believe that the role of family members, carers, and friends of people with disability have a significant role in improving their lives.
This site offers independent information to provide you with the opportunity to learn about disability and the rights of the disabled persons. With the right information and disability awareness, not only will life be easier for the disabled person themselves, but also for their family, friends and carers as they will be able to build more efficient communication with people that live with disability.
Most of the initial information on this site has been acquired from translating articles, reports, and well known sites in the developed countries.
Ability Beyond Boundaries is a non-profit organisation and NDIS Provider, offering a range of innovative programs through social gathering events and online creative activities, providing NDIS support in both Persian and English, and promoting NDIS Awareness and empowerment of people with disability through arts and creative activities
Our Vision
Our vision is that people with disability can experience a productive and meaningful life. We have identified access to information as the best tool for building knowledge – our belief is that knowledge is power.
Our Goal
Ability Beyond Boundaries goal is to raise awareness about disability and the rights of people with disability with a focus on the Persian community.
This site aims to provide important information for people with disability, their families, carers and friends, so they will be able to:
- To identify and recognise their abilities, interests, needs, and goals with greater awareness.
- To focus on creative solutions to find the best available answer for disability-related issues.
Our Board
Dr. Zhila Hasanloo
Zhila is a disability researcher and a passionate advocate for rights of all people with disability. Zhila has worked for Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association, managing a project called Sexual Lives and Respectful Relationships which was rolled out over 2 sites in NSW.
This project focused on sexual abuse and violence prevention for people with intellectual disabilities. Concerned with the Welbeing of young children living with disability, currently she works for the NSW Government, department of Education in Disability and Inclusion Program as Project Officer.
Zhila has a PhD degree in Education from Sydney University which focuses on Disability rights and the disability Arts Movement. Utilising Arts Informed Methodology, in her PhD, Zhila created a radio drama based on the real life experiences of blind and low visioned people.
This radio drama, called Hopes Springs Eternal, was produced in both English and Persian languages and later was broadcast on Vision Australia radio and the Radio Drama channel in Iran. Zhila has been Member of numerous boards and advisory committees and was the Chairperson of Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association for 3 years.
DR. ZHILA HASANLOO
Zhila is the Founder and Director of Ability Beyond Boundaries which aims to promote the inclusion of people with disability in society with a specific focus on raising awareness for Persian communities. As a leader and ambassador for people with disability, she takes every opportunity to protest against the societal negative attitudes and discrimination against disability.
Zhila says: “With being proud of who we are, with the heads up, we embrace our identity as disabled persons, and participate in our communities. We are disability ambassadors and believe awareness stimulates tolerance and diversity for everyone”.
Richard Silberer
A former Electronics Engineer by profession, Richard has graduated from University of Technology Sydney. He has worked for Australian Defence Force for 10 years and in Europe for leading telecommunication businesses such as Siemens for over 20 years prior to his retirement on Disability grounds.
Richard strongly believes that with the right tools people with disability can live a fulfilled life and reach their goals. Returning from Europe after 23 years, Richard is a keen participant and advocate for NDIS in fulfilling the life of people living with disability through identifying and reaching their goals and aspirations. “NDIS make their lives easier in their own homes rather than in an institution and in engagement in society in a way that can change societal attitudes towards disability for a win win situation for all” Richard says.
With a keen interest in the issues of parents with disability and child relationship with the parents, Richard believes that there is a need for family awareness in this field.
Being passionate about welfare of people living with disability Richard is sitting on Cumberland Council Access committee to contribute his personal experiences about what people with disability face in their lives.
RICHARD SILBERER
Dr. Nuredin Mahmoodi
Over the past 12 years Nuredin has obtained a wealth of knowledge about issues of disability and disability rights as he has been part of several disability related projects. With the assistance of people with disability themselves and also having close collaboration with them, most of these projects reflect on the unspoken stories of people.
Nuredin has achieved his PhD in Philosophy of Education from Tehran University. In his Dissertation, his main focus was on a model on enhancing creativity and arts in education. As a proactive scholar, he has been involved in various projects like developing the creative mind of the children and also on empowering people with disability and he is an author of several books and journal articles on such topics.
DR. NUREDIN MAHMOODI
A realistic perception of disability and the disability issues
DISABILITYARTS.ONLINE
Over the history, and even until recently, many societies view disability as a misfortune or like a contagious disease which should be avoided. In many cultures disability is seen as a consequence of a person’s or his family’s misdeed and wickedness. And unfortunately, in many communities’ families hide the disabled person from the eyes of others so they can avoid shame and others’ judgement.
Across the centuries people with disability witness a wide variety of discrimination, violence, abuse, exploitation and negligence. As well as environmental barriers to access, research shows that the societal negative assumptions towards disability, may perceive a disabled person as passive, pathetic, ugly and in some instances dangerous and monstrous.
The statistics shows that one in 5 people in the world is experiencing a type of disability either visible or invisible. Not surprisingly, this proportion significantly increased when people age. So those who unconsciously avoid disability may know that there is a high chance of experiencing disability if not by them, but perhaps by someone close to them at some stage in life.
Ability Beyond Boundaries aims to promote disability awareness for Persian communities as we believe through encouraging awareness, people can efficiently assist disabled persons while considering each individual with dignity. By learning about a disabled persons unique strengths and needs, you can collaborate with them and this improves your own life and also enhances and enriches society.
In the different sections of this site we will go through more issues facing people with disability in detail. Also we invite you to send your personal experiences of disability to our website: http://www.abilitybeyondboundaries.com.au and we will publish your material with your name.
Your experiences help the enrichment of Ability Beyond Boundaries site
Users of this site are encouraged to share their personal experiences relating to disability with us. For example, experiences in recruiting strategies to overcome disability and the journey of empowerment, also experiences of discrimination and misunderstandings are valuable sources that provide awareness and insights to the readers. Shedding light on such experiences breaks the deafening silence about disability realities in some cultures, such as Persian communities. Then other stakeholders with disability who may have thought they were lonely in living such experiences, will realise that they are not alone and many others have gone through this journey as well.
PHOTO BY REMI YUAN ON UNSPLASH
Why sharing information on disability is so important?
At Ability Beyond Boundaries, we believe that information and awareness will provide people with the opportunity to make better decisions and ultimately improve the quality of their lives for them and their families, and also to enrich their community. With access to the information and knowledge:
- People with disability can gain more self-esteem, live at their highest level of ability, find the right job, and eventually work.
- The social organisations, businesses, and industrial services will be empowered to provide a universal design for their services, products, and workplaces to make them accessible to citizens with disability similar to everyone else.
