Sharon Boyce
My name is Sharon Boyce and I am currently the Chairperson of the board at QDN and I need your vote to continue in this role. Just to let you know a little bit about me and why it would be good for you to vote for me to continue on the board of QDN. I am experienced in working and understanding personal, Board and organisational performance. I am qualified as a graduate of the Institute of Company Directors and understand and practice good governance in everything that I and we do on the board. I have always demonstrated effective decision making processes across many areas and always operate with real transparency. I believe that our members should have good leadership and I love working across all the areas that we participate in as members of the board and as the leader of that board.
In my current position, together with the CEO, Michelle Moss, we have managed to successfully apply for a number of grants to enable us to continue as a strength-based organisation and I am proud to say we are now operating a $6 million budget. But what really matters to me is that we can do a good job in making people with disabilities lives better. I want to find out as much information as I can about what is currently happening and then share it to everyone who makes up QDN.
I am an author, educator and disability advocate. I work across a number of areas and perform many different roles. I aim to promote a true understanding of disability and diversity. Recent experiences with septic shock and intensive care stays have also led to a strong commitment to exploring issues of complex health needs and disability. I founded Discovering Disability and Diversity and helped design the Discovering Disability and Diversity experiential hands on Disability Awareness program which helps students and teachers and care, community and doctors and health workers experience and explore a wide range of disabilities, instead of just talking about them. I am skilled in planning and research.
My awards and recognition include:
- Received the Human Rights Award for Individuals 2008 for her contribution to creating inclusion across the Australian community,
- Honoured with the Queensland Regional Achiever Regional Service Award 2012, Regional Achievement and Community Awards.
- Awarded the Australia Day Regional Citizen of the year for work in awareness raising and creating inclusive communities (2013)
- YWCA – Top 125 Queensland Women Leaders (2013)
- Dept of Communities Local Hero Award (2015)
- University of Southern Queensland's Community Services Alumnus Award for (2016)
- USQ Alumnus of the Year Award (2016)
- Toowoomba Business Disability Award for Social Inclusion (2017)
I have experience and networks that will link with QDN to make our organization better and stronger. All members will be listened to and will have a voice and the opportunity to share their concern or ideas with me at any time. I am open and honest and believe in creating a fully inclusive world. I am the current chair of the Queensland disability advisory council and the independent advisory council for the NDIS. I can link all these areas and networks together and share ideas and communications across the sectors. We need to listen to people with disability and encourage them to have a strong voice and great ideas. I will do my best to ensure this always happens. I will advocate strongly and share ideas and ask for opinions of all members.
QDN is a great organisation and I hope you will give me your support to continue working as a director and with government and other disability organizations to make it even better. I understand disability policy and the processes behind governance and how to engage in best practice. I understand the legal obligations for the organization. We need rights and to have real choice and control of our lives. As a group we can make this happen. Please give me your vote and I will not disappoint you. Vote for Sharon Boyce the voice of Boyce! I will make sure that the members and QDN remain very strong in our current disability landscape.