Settlement Services International is shocked and saddened by the horrific attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday.

Settlement Services International’s (SSI) vision is of a society that values the diversity of its people and helps them to achieve their full potential, a goal that we’re closer than ever to reaching in our work with people with a disability.

Volunteer with SSI Coffs Harbour, Paul Hemphill, uses his passion for people and Arabic language skills to make new arrivals feel welcome in their new home.

In 2017, a Community Hub was opened at Villawood East Public school, an area with a high migrant, low socio-economic population. At the time, many parents were hesitant to engage with their school community, and low English comprehension was identified as a barrier.

With the support of IgniteAbility® Small Business Start-ups, high-achieving entrepreneur and autism advocate Haydn Payne is developing a podcast series for high functioning young adults on the autism spectrum.

Fried rice, pastizzi irkotta, hummus, baram tteok, pies and sausage rolls ― it was a multicultural smorgasbord when Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, home to a burgeoning SSI Community Hub, celebrated cultural diversity and inclusion during Harmony Week.

A strong delegation from Settlement Services International (SSI) was among 1,900 people who gathered at Sydney Town Hall on March 14 to urge for real change to housing and energy policies ahead of the NSW and Federal elections.

With the support of Ignite Small Business Start-ups™, Ed Yousef established a catering service — Syriana Traditional Cuisine — that takes Sydneysiders on an authentic journey through the tastes of traditional Syrian food.

The absence of fact-based opinion in Australia’s public discourse risks undermining appreciation of our country’s rich multicultural identity. Amid the inevitable saturation of news and comments on Harmony Day this Thursday, I challenge you to look for the evidence.

Adjusting to a different culture, getting to grips with a new language, learning the value of diversity and making new friends are all top priorities for young refugees, according to three sisters. 

It is with heavy hearts we hear of the unprecedented violence that was bestowed on our New Zealand neighbours last night. Settlement Services International (SSI) together with Access Community Services, Queensland, expresses our sympathy and support to the victims and families of the shootings at the Al Noor mosque in central Christchurch and the Linwood mosque nearby. Our thoughts are with all people of New Zealand at this time.

Two exhibitions by refugee artists opening in Auburn this month — Fragments of Iran and ANA/MAN/MA — will showcase a range of diverse artworks that speak to the themes of resilience, humanity and dignity.

People born in a non-English speaking country have similar rates of disability as other Australians but are about half as likely to receive formal assistance.

  SSI Ability Links participant Pip Smith has won the Blue Mountains City Council Visual Arts Prize, and this opened new opportunities for her.

With NDIS now providing participants with more choice and control when they purchase the supports and equipment they need to achieve their goals and to live a better life, businesses providing disability services or interested in learning how to provide services for people with disabilities should be alert to the new opportunities this presents.

Seven projects supporting refugee communities in south-west Sydney have received a boost from not-for-profit Settlement Services International’s (SSI) $50,000 Community Innovation Fund.

Settlement Services International joins refugee and human rights advocates, football associations and concerned citizens around the world in calling for Thai authorities to immediately release Bahraini refugee Hakeem Ali al-Araibi and allow him to return to Australia.

One of the precious, and often fleeting, aspects of youth is fearlessness. We’re brave and invincible; we don’t know what we don’t know. And for the lucky few, life has not yet inducted them into its darker, dimmer corners.

Ability Links NSW is always looking for opportunities to organise activities that bring people together, tackling social isolation and celebrating diversity and inclusion. A great example of this is the Daytime Singing Group based in Cooma, NSW who have just had their first opportunity to showcase what they love doing.

In line with the principles of social inclusion and with the International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) celebrated annually on 3 December, SSI has participated in a number of activities that not only support SSI’s effort towards building a more inclusive workplace, but also contributes to enable grassroots community leaders promoting disability inclusion in their communities.