The International Day of People with Disability is held on 3rd December each year.
In 2022, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (https://www.abs.gov.au/) reported that 5.5 million Australians, or 21.4% of our national population, live with a disability. In NSW, this equated to 1.3 million individuals, or almost one-fifth of the state’s population. As of July 2025, almost 750,000 Australians were accessing supports through the NDIS.
Research shows that individuals living with a disability face numerous barriers in accessing and feeling included in the health care system. This contributes to higher rates of unmet healthcare needs and poorer health outcomes when compared to people without disability (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2024 https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/australias-health).
Santiago Velasquez was selected for the 2025 ambassadorship program run by the Australian Government's Department of Social Services
- Announcement by Minister Jenny McAllister: https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/senator-the-hon-jenny-mcallister/media/international-day-of-people-with-disability-2025-ambassadors-announce
- Santiago Velasquez' individual video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=258EB0z2hlg&t=134s
- Videos for all the ambassadors: https://www.idpwd.com.au/about/our-ambassadors/
"Santiago Velasquez Hurtado is the CEO and founder of two companies, and an accomplished innovator and designer. Santiago utilises his lived experience and degree in electrical engineering to invent solutions to make the world more accessible. As a UN panellist, Churchill Fellow and TedX speaker, he is determined to change the way the world perceives people with disability."
