By CASEY NEILL
A POP-UP shop at Dandenong Plaza is showcasing what people with disabilities can do.
The Wallara shop will stock products its service users make, promote the Dandenong-based organisation’s support services, events and activities, and educate the community about disability.
It will also provide a community site where service users can train in a ‘live’ environment, with potential for permanent employment.
The Wallara Pop-Up Shop’s doors are now open 10am to 2pm Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at shop 268 on the plaza’s middle level.
Centre manager Mark Tannahill said plaza operator GPT’s community mission focused on social inclusion, healthy living and employability.
“By supporting Wallara we are delighted to develop a relationship with a community group who lives this mission on a daily basis and has done so in the Dandenong and surrounding region for over 50 years,” he said.
Wallara is also seeking support for its WallaraTV initiative. An in-house video team produces short films about some of the unique people Wallara supports.
There are now more than 60 videos on YouTube and Channel 31 is airing a 30-minute program each month.
“We believe these stories matter, and by sharing them we can change the way people think about disability,” Wallara chief executive Phil Hayes-Brown said.
“And changing people’s mindsets can only open up more opportunities for social inclusion.”
Visit www.wallara.com.au for more information about supporting WallaraTV.
