This book is dedicated to...
Elizabeth Hastings
1949–1998
Elizabeth Hastings was a wonderful advocate
and ambassador for people with disabilities in Australia. She worked
tirelessly to ensure that their rights were upheld and as a founding
member of a number of major disability organisations in the country,
she was one of the earliest advocates in Australia for people with disabilities.
She was also a leading academic writer on disability issues
Born in London, Elizabeth migrated to Australia
with her family in 1957. She gained an Arts Degree with Honours at the
University of Melbourne and began work as a psychologist in 1972 at
the Victorian Department of Employment and Industrial Relations. She
held that position until December 1992.
Elizabeth's work in the discrimination
area commenced at an official level in 1981 when she became a Commissioner
with the original Commonwealth Human Rights Commission–
a post she held until 1986.
Elizabeth also travelled extensively overseas
including trips to India and Nepal where she went camel trekking as
well as trekking. She is believed to have been one of the first people
in the world to have made such trips in a wheelchair.
Elizabeth took up her appointment with
the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Com-mission as Australia's first
Disability Discrimination Commissioner in February 1993. In this capacity,
she was responsible for developing the Commission's role as a place
in which people with disabilities could seek justice using the Disability
Discrimination Act (Commonwealth).
There is no doubt that Elizabeth Hastings
played an important role in assisting people with disabilities in their
quest to have their rights as equal citizens in our community recognised
and upheld. She was a great advocate and wonderful role model, given
her own disability, and contributed to the betterment of conditions
for people with disabilities in general and students with disabilities
in tertiary education in particular.
Written by Gai Wibberley,
Disability Officer at Macquarie University
