For the last lunch of the year in Melbourne we have invited the CEO of Scope, Diana Heggie, to take us out of the currently turbulent financial world into the world of people who are less fortunate than us.

Scope (formerly the Spastic Society of Victoria) is a not-for-profit organisation with a turnover of over $60m and providing disability services throughout Victoria to thousands of children and adults with physical and multiple disabilities.  A recent research study by Access Economics estimated the annual financial cost of cerebral palsy at $1.47 billion, about $43,500 for each person, and a third of which the individual with a disability must foot themselves.

Diana will address the issues facing Scope and the wider community if we are to truly embrace the notion of people with disabilities being valued members of our community.

Date/time:      Tuesday 18 November 2008 (from 12.30pm to 2.00pm)

Venue:          Domino and Library Rooms, The Australian Club, 110 William Street, Melbourne

Prices:         $65 per person including GST

Booking:        The deadline for bookings / cancellations is Friday 13 November 2008.  See below for details - printing the next page will provide an A4 form on which to make your booking.

Brief biography of Diana Heggie

Diana Heggie is the Chief Executive Officer of Scope.  She has worked in the disability field for over 25 years, in Ireland, Switzerland and for the most part – Melbourne.

She took a lead role in Scope when it embarked on the name change from the Spastic Society of Victoria to Scope.  She has chaired two National Disability conferences, is currently the Chair of both the National and State Ageing and Disability Committees, and President of Cerebral Palsy Australia.

She is a qualified physiotherapist with a Post-graduate Diploma in Human Services Research and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

She is a strong advocate for client empowerment and believes that a partnership approach with local communities is one of the key strategies to ensure people with disabilities have their needs met in a locally responsive way.