Therese Rein champion for disabled
The Prime Minister’s wife, Therese Rein, will be the official Patron of International day of People with Disability and the National Disability Awards for 2009. Paralympian Kurt Fearnley will become the 2009 Ambassador for People with Disability.
The Families and Community Services Minister, Jenny Macklin, said the commitment of Ms Rein and Mr Fearnley would help raise awareness of the significant contribution made by people with disability as well as emphasising the challenges they faced.
The Minister said that “International Day of People with Disability (held on 3 December) is an opportunity for all of us to reflect on the remarkable achievements of Australians with disability across so many sectors. In sport people like Kurt Fearnley – who won gold, silver, and bronze at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games – show that disability is not a barrier to achieving at the highest levels”.
Ms Rein said that her father, an aeronautical engineer, had been involved in the International Year of Disabled people in 1981.
“As a paraplegic he knew personally the challenges of physical accessibility to buildings and public facilities and along with Mum, creatively solved many of those problems. As a Paralympian he taught me how important it is to be dedicated to excellence and being the best you can be in everything you do”.
