The 2016 International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD), to be held on 3rd December, is an international celebration sanctioned by the United Nations. The purpose is to celebrate the contributions of people with disability, increase public awareness and break down structural and attitudinal barriers for people with disabilities. 22 individuals, organisations, services and initiatives have been selected as the 2016 finalists for the 10th Australian National Disability Awards. Details are: 1. Employer of the Year (4 finalists) 2. Excellence in Community Partnerships (4 finalists) 3. Excellence in Inclusive Community Design (4 finalists) 4. Excellence in Inclusive Service Delivery (2 finalists) 5. Excellence in Accessible Technology (4 finalists) 6. Excellence in Education and Training (2 finalists) 7. Excellence in Justice and Rights Protection (2 finalists) We are thrilled to announce that CCSVI Australia CEO, Kerri Cassidy, is a finalist for the Excellence in Justice and Rights Protection Award - for her long-term commitment to promoting justice and rights protection for people with disability. This is a reflection of her work in raising awareness and calling for equitable access to treatment for Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency (CCSVI) for people with Multiple Sclerosis. Kerri has demonstrated her determination and commitment to raising awareness about the need for justice and rights protection of people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) through the equitable access to Chronic Cerebro Spinal Venous Insufficiency (CCSVI) treatment. The CCSVI treatment has been found to alleviate many of the debilitating symptoms of MS, but financial assistance through Medicare is not available to MS patients. Kerri has advocated for change and has been responsible for initiating a double-blinded placebo-controlled trial to prove the effectiveness of the procedure for MS patients. Find out how you may also be able to help - see http://www.msnetwork.org/advocacy/questions.htm This procedure has resulted in thousands of people with MS around the globe seeing significant improvements in their quality of life. http://www.msnetwork.org/ccsvibenefits.htm By any measure, this well-deserved acknowledgement of Kerri’s ongoing voluntary contributions is another significant step in highlighting ways to improve the well-being of those living with MS. Learning from the experiences of the other 21 finalists - at times quite large organisations/consortiums - further enhances these benefits. See the full list at http://www.msnetwork.org/expectations/awards.htm It may well be that CCSVI Australia is the only 100% voluntary body to be identified as a category finalist – something that many may learn from. All in all a great “patient centred” foundation to build upon. More about building patient-centred cultures in Australia is at http://www.msnetwork.org/index.htm#patient Peter Sullivan, on behalf of MS Network of Care, Australia ‘’A voice for People Affected by MS”