International Engagement
We engage internationally to share Australian experience, learn from global practice and strengthen disability sport participation in Australia.
International engagement helps us bring new ideas, evidence and practice back to Australia to improve participation opportunities for people with disability.
Building international relationships
DSA’s international engagement has been built through sustained relationships with disability sport, policy and diplomatic stakeholders around the world.
In 2025, DSA’s Manager of Strategic Impact, Frances Quan Farrant, undertook a month of engagements across Austria, supported by the Australian Embassy in Vienna and the Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
She met with the Austrian Disability Ombudswoman, the Director General of the Austrian Ministry of Sport, the Austrian Disability Council and the Austrian Disabled Sports Organisation, and presented to embassy staff on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The relationships established during that visit led to DSA’s return to Vienna in 2026 with support from the Australian Embassy and helped create opportunities for engagement through the Zero Project Conference and related international events.
Connecting International and Domestic Work
International engagement informs DSA’s domestic advocacy directly. Lessons from international accessibility and universal design practice shaped DSA’s Brisbane 2032 infrastructure submission, and international frameworks inform DSA’s advocacy on disability sport participation.
Peer exchange with disability sport organisations overseas feeds into how DSA develops programs, resources and participation initiatives across Australia.
International work does not replace domestic work. It strengthens it.
Participation is recognised internationally as a right under Article 30 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Recent Engagement
Zero Project Conference, Vienna — February 2026
Frances chaired Building Community through Sport at the Zero Project Conference, held annually at the United Nations Office in Vienna. The session drew speakers from the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Spain and Slovenia to examine how sport strengthens participation and social connection. The invitation to chair followed DSA’s meeting with the Zero Project in 2025.
Diplomatic engagement, Vienna — February 2026
A dinner hosted by Australian Ambassador Ian Biggs brought together Australian and Austrian leaders from disability inclusion, sport, accessibility and government, building on the embassy relationship established the previous year. It allowed DSA to set out how Australia’s disability sport system works and strengthen the relationships that support future collaboration.
Austrian and Czech disability sport exchange — February 2026
As part of the Zero Project x SK Rapid Football for All Dialogue in Vienna, DSA engaged with disability sport, accessibility and football leaders from across Europe, including representatives from clubs, federations and disability organisations.
Discussions explored club-based participation and how disability sport connects with broader education, recreation and community systems.
The event highlighted the role major sporting clubs can play in increasing participation and reducing barriers to taking part in sport.
Veneto and Milano Cortina 2026 — March 2026
DSA attended a regional gymnastics competition for young people with intellectual disability in the Veneto region and the Opening Ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics at the Arena di Verona.
Together, these experiences reinforced the importance of accessibility being built into facilities and infrastructure from the outset. From community participation through to major international events, accessible environments create more opportunities for people with disability to take part in sport.
