Who is STAR Victoria?
WHO WE ARE
STAR Victoria is an independent community organisation, based in Victoria, dedicated to working with people who have an intellectual disability and their families.
We work together to speak up for their rights, to fix the laws that stop them from living fully inclusive lives of their own choosing and to change community attitudes towards people with intellectual disability.
OUR VALUES
STAR is guided by the principles of equity, justice, accessibility and inclusion, and the guiding principles described in our Constitution.
We are…
Respectful – We treat all people with dignity and value
Inclusive – We believe that all people have a right to be appreciated as valuable members of our community
Passionate – We are committed in heart and mind to the goals of STAR Victoria
Collaborative – We openly work with and support others to achieve our goals
Honest – We are transparent about our work and what we have achieved
OUR GOALS
By being a voice for people with intellectual disability and their families, STAR will campaign for change to laws, policies and practices that give people with an intellectual disability and their families the right to live their lives the way they want to.
We will support people with intellectual disability and their families to be effective advocates through individual advocacy and support.
To do this, we need to be a resilient and effective organisation with a strong financial base, an engaged and active membership and Committee of Management, and ensure we maintain good relationships and a reputable public profile with our partners and key stakeholders.
OUR PRIORITIES
These are the areas we will focus on for the next few years
Parents with an intellectual disability: STAR will support, inform, enable, encourage and assist parents with intellectual disability and their children to have the same rights as anyone else and systematically create changes in policy and practice. If you need help with this issue, please click here to make contact.
Inclusive education: STAR will support the rights of children with intellectual disability to participate and be welcomed into inclusive mainstream schooling. If you need help, click here for more information.
Empowering people: STAR recognises the expertise of people experiencing inequality due to their disability and will use their lived experience to challenge the laws and policies that prevent them from living the life they want to live. Got a story to share? Click here to get in touch.
Teamwork: We want to build a team of skilled advocates who support people to speak up for their rights and be powerful change agents. If you would like to know more about volunteering with STAR, click here for more information.
STAR members: Our membership makes us strong. That’s why we will refresh and rebuild STAR’s membership base and volunteers. If you would like to become a member or volunteers, please click here for more information.
Our organisation: STAR is a resilient and vibrant organisation that is visible and present in our community and a thought leader in the debates around the rights and interests of people with intellectual disability and their families.
If you would like to know more about our work, partner with us in our campaigns, or financially support us, please click here for how you can help.
You can read our current Strategic Plan here.
We have also wrote an Easy English version of our Strategic Plan, which can be found here.
OUR TEAM
Our Committee
John Slattery
President
John and his wife Janice live in Melbourne and help people in the community who like themselves live with an intellectual disability. They enjoy cycling together in the parks close to home.
James Teeken
Vice-President
Vice-President
As a person with a physical disability, James campaigns for more accessible transport and buildings. James joined the STAR Committee in 2022.
Karen Douglas
Treasurer
Treasurer
Karen worked for STAR as the policy officer for six months in 2020-2021, returning as a member and joining the Committee as Treasurer at the 2022 AGM.
Carolyn Vimpani OAM
Committee Member
Committee Member
Carolyn is a retired educator with a lifelong passion for inclusive education and a strong belief that that with the right supports families can stay together.
James Henry
Committee Member
Committee Member
James has a teenage son who uses communication aids. This led James to also become a Committee member of the Anne McDonald Centre and helps build a support network for people who use communication aids and their families.
Our Team
Greg Ferrington
Executive Officer
Greg has more than 40 years’ experience in community services, with a focus on disability and community development. He volunteers with nonprofits, serves on multiple boards, and applies his expertise to strengthen governance and foster inclusive communities. A proven leader and advocate, Greg also draws on his lived experience of disability through a chronic health condition, bringing unique insight and authenticity to his work and advocacy.
Briony Long
Advocacy Officer
Briony has carved out a career in community services, most recently working with people with disabilities. She is passionate about ensuring people with disabilities are able to access the care and support they need to live their lives in the way they want to live them. Having been a support worker she’s seen the discrimination people with disabilities experience every day, and shares STAR’s vision of an inclusive society that respects all abilities.
Sienna Macalister
Communications Officer
Sienna (they/them) is passionate about disability rights and are excited to be working in a sector where meaningful change can be made. They also work in a secondary school as an integration aide and has witnessed first-hand the benefits of integrated education.
OUR HISTORY
STAR Victoria was established in 1970 when parents of people with an intellectual disability recognised that, whilst trying to improve the circumstances for their own children, it was essential to change community attitudes to intellectual disability. Then, as now, we are committed to equity and full community inclusion and participation for people with intellectual disability, from birth to pre-school through to adult education and employment, recreation, and all aspects of ordinary life.
We have celebrated many successes, including the closing of institutions and ending forced sterilisation of women with intellectual disability. STAR has played a leading role in the transition toward inclusive schooling and built a program to support self-advocacy by those with intellectual disability.  We have been present and active when immense changes are occurring in our sector, and STAR is respected by decision-makers for the depth of our knowledge and the quality of our advice.Â
OUR FOUNDER
Ethel Temby MBE. 1914 – 2012
We owe a debt of gratitude to the late Ethel Temby MBE, a leader for the rights of people with intellectual disability and their families for more than forty years.
Ethel emphasised the right of a person to participate in all aspects of life, and the contribution that each person makes to their community. She was awarded an MBE in 1975, a Churchill fellowship in 1976 and a Centenary Medal in 2001.
OUR FUNDING
STAR Victoria receives funding from the Department of Fairness, Families and Housing Office of Disability as part of the Disability Advocacy Program.
OUR PARTNERS
STAR has been a voice for people with intellectual disability, their families and carers for almost 50 years.Â
We are a reliable source of information and advice on the rights and interests of people with intellectual disability and a track record of effective action.Â
Please contact us if you would like to work with us, seek our advice or test ideas.Â