Working with Attitude – Lucinda Tamburrino
August 20, 2015
As many of our followers will know, Lucinda Tamburrino, our previous Executive Officer seconded by ANZ, recently return to the bank. We caught up with her to talk about her time with us and to thank her for all her efforts!
Why do you think the Foundation's work is important?
Part of my role with the Attitude Foundation was developing their business plan for submission to the ACNC, this involved immersing myself in statistics, historical inquiries and the voice of Australians with disabilities, which included following talented and passionate advocates via social media channels. I was overwhelmed by the consistency and repetition of the feedback from people with disabilities; this being the attitudes they face in their daily activities from the broader community that effect their quality of life and create barriers to meaningful participation. The work the foundation plans to undertake has the potential to not only change society’s attitudes towards people with disabilities but also create opportunities for people with disabilities.
What have you learnt from your time with the Foundation?
I have learnt about bias and how powerful it can be in the way we operate, being aware of your own and the biases of those around you can be a challenging exercise in self-awareness and an ongoing commitment to shift these biases I believe is critical if we want to create a more inclusive society.
One of the other areas I learnt about was how people with disabilities are commonly portrayed in the media in a particular light, spending time with Graeme and the Attitude Foundation board discussing the content they strive to create helped me better understand the need to influence media content to shift away from the ‘Hero’ or ‘Victim’ and focus on the story and empowering the person in the story to lead it.
What has surprised you the most?
I think perhaps what surprised me the most was how common low expectations, ignorance and a lack of verbal filter was on a daily basis for people with disabilities. Possibly the other was my own generalisations about people with disabilities, again as I dove into the opinions and experiences passionately communicated by people with disabilities I realise there is not one voice representative of people with disabilities, there are themes and points of unity, but everyone’s experience is individual and independent.
Why does ANZ support the work of the Foundation?
ANZ considers a diverse and inclusive workforce to be a strategic asset and recognise their broader role in improving economic and social inclusion in the communities in which we live and work. Being the first organisation to donate a secondee to the Attitude Foundation was seen as a fantastic opportunity to contribute professional skills and also further diversify the experience of our employee base. ANZ is proud to have contributed to the successful start-up of the Attitude Foundation and are committed to continuing the relationship to support a positive change in the community. I am thankful to both ANZ and the Attitude Foundation for providing me with this growth opportunity.
And we thank you Lucinda! Many thanks also to PwC who have supported our current Executive Officer secondee Liz Littlewood. We are proud to have the support of both PwC and ANZ, especially in providing us with talented resources and contributing to achieving our shared goals in an innovative way.