Young candidate steps up to challenge

15 March 2010 | 02:17:25 PM | Source: SBS - Shalailah Medhora

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Kelly Vincent, who is only 21 years old, is running in the South Australian election for the Dignity for Disability Party.

Young playwright Kelly Vincent has stepped up to be the main candidate for Dignity for Disability in the South Australian state election, after the death of the party's founder.

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The 21-year-old has celebral palsy and gets around through the use of a manual wheelchair.

She says joining the party has been life-changing.

"To step up to this new position is a great honour to me," Ms Vincent says.

"I'm running to improve the situation [for the] one in five disabled Australians."

Ms Vincent says the situation for disabled people is 'dire', and that she's faced many challenges in her day-to-day life.

"I'm currently sitting in a wheelchair I've had for four months, but it took two years to get," she says.
 
"Prior to that I was using the same wheelchair from the age of ten to 21, so you can imagine the physical pain and discomfort that I was having because of that, and the loss of independence. So I learnt a lot in that experience, in battling for that chair."
 
As well as issues with obtaining basic equipment, the candidate says disabled South Australians face issues with finding suitable housing and care, and find it difficult or prohibitively expensive to travel from place to place.
 
And Ms Vincent believes the issues resonate with the wider community.
 
She likes her party's chances of being elected, but "even if we don't there is still a big fight and we will continue no matter what the outcome of the election".
 
Dignity for Disability founder Paul Collier died suddenly just days out from the state election, which is to be held on Saturday 20 March.
 

 

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Your Comments

15 Mar 2010 19:33 AEST

Garry

From: Marion

You Go Girl

Kelly it is a privalege to have worked with you the last couple of months, and I know that if , no not if , when you are elected you will continue Pauls fight for the disability sector.

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