ACT Chief Minister’s Disability Inclusion Awards How the awards are judged What the judges look for How to maximise your chances of winning By Dianne Hamer Chief Judge 2013 Judge 2012

The Winners of the Chief Minister’s Award for Excellence 2013 ACT Council of Parents and Citizens Association

Who are the Judges? Panel of 13 judges and Chief Judge People with Disability Representatives from the local community and business Major sponsors of the event Members of the ACT Inclusion Council Limit of two years for each judge

Role of the Chief Judge Reviews all nominations prior to facilitation meeting Oversees the judging process, answers questions and receives the final recommendations for the awards Reviews the rationale and assessments provided to support the recommendations and seeks further clarification if required Facilitates the group discussion to identify the overall winner. Casting vote if an impasse is received.

Who can nominate? People, businesses and organisations that have taken significant steps to include people with disabilities. Organisations and businesses must be operational at the time of the presentation of the awards and not in breach of ACT or Commonwealth law or Human Rights Act Based in the ACT and businesses need an Australian Business Number Organisations nominated for an Excellence in delivering enabling and inclusive special disability service awards must be providing a service over and above the core business they are funded for. Can nominate yourself or be nominated by someone else.

The Judging Process 3-4 judges assess each category. Judges receive the award guidelines, the nominations and a scoring tool They assess nominations individually by rating each using the agreed selection criteria to get a total score and make notes to support their scores using the scoring tool. Judges meet and compare notes and agree on recommendations for winners. The category chair judges and chief judge attend an assessment meeting to discus and compare scores, make recommendations of category winners and reach agreement on overall winner. Follow up with referees may occur if required. Category chair and chief judge can ask questions or seek further explanations. Recommendations are confirmed for each category. Commendations may also be made for exceptional nominations deserving recognition. Judges must be convinced the nominee for the award is of a significant level of excellence in order to be presented with the award.

Chief Minister’s Award for Excellence Judges nominate deserving nominees from the category winners and select one overall winner Involves all of the judges who nominate, speak and discuss and then vote on who they think this should be Last year we received a record number of nominations and it was not possible to make a single recommendation on the day and after much discussion the judges went away, reread the nominations and then voted on who they thought should win, with the award going to the nomination with the most votes.

The Selection Criteria Judges assess nominations against selection criteria and score each out of 10 Recognising people with disability who are leaders in Inclusion. Have made a difference in the community, is a role model. Demonstrates excellence and leadership, engages community to promote inclusion of people with disability. Excellence in inclusion for mainstream services. Improves and promotes accessibility, expands opportunities, demonstrated excellence in inclusion, demonstrated commitment to embed inclusivity into ever day practice, involves people with disability in crating a positive environment and culture. Excellence in delivering enabling and inclusive specialist disability services. Demonstrates excellence and innovation in supporting people with disabilities above and beyond national standards, engages community to promote inclusion, expands opportunities, involves people with disability in creating positive environment and culture Excellence in enabling inclusion through supporting people with disability. Demonstrates respect for people with disability, enables and empowers people with disability, demonstrates evidence of supporting people with disability to achieve their goals and aspirations, engages community to promote inclusion of people with disability in valued roles.

The 12 Award Categories Recognising people with disability who are leaders in inclusion Emerging Young Leader Life Time Achievement Award Excellence in Making Inclusion Happen Excellence in Inclusion for Mainstream Services Inclusion in Employment (private and public sector0 Inclusion in Education and Training Excellence in Inclusion Excellence in delivering enabling and inclusive specialist disability services Excellence in Innovation Above and Beyond Award (individual or organisation) Excellence in enabling inclusion through supporting people with disability Emerging Young leaders/support worker Excellence in Leadership/Inclusive Support Work Long Service Award Chief Minister’s Award for Excellence – from category winners

How to maximise your chances of winning Have a good initiative which is sustainable, can be ongoing and demonstrated benefits achieved. Read the questions carefully Ensure your response answers the questions and meets the selection criteria Get someone else to check you didn’t miss anything Clearly explain the impact of the initiative and benefits gained Clearly show the number of people with disability who benefit Explain level of input to make initiative happen eg paid job or volunteering, number of people involved, community engagement Select the most appropriate category of award Provide evidence to support your claims Provide references, testimonials, letters of support Ensure you meet the eligibility criteria and sign the declaration If reapplying and won previously nomination must include new initiatives. Ask for help to complete the application form if you need it Ask questions if you need more information

Questions and Follow Up For further information Website: Phone: