Lesley Maria Hall (27 November 1954 – 19 October 2013) was a disability advocate, arts administrator, writer and activist. She was one of the founders of the Women with Disabilities Feminist Collective (WDFC), now known as Women with Disabilities Australia (WWDA), and Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO). She was also co-founder of the Disability Resource Centre, and was credited with getting her brother Frank Hall-Bentick involved in the organisation, as well as disability advocacy. In 1981 Hall staged a protest at the Miss Australia Quest, a beauty pageant held as a fundraiser for the organisation then known as the Spastic Society. In relation to the contests she stated: Hall was a member of the

Melbourne Workers Theatre Melbourne Workers Theatre (MWT) was an Australian theatre company based in Melbourne, Australia. The company was founded in 1987 by Patricia Cornelius, Steve Payne and Michael White. It specialised in producing work from a left-wing stance, se ...

, and worked as an arts officer for the Darebin City Council. Hall was known for her disability advocacy, including contributing to the formation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Recognition

Hall was inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2014. She received a posthumous Order of Australia medal in 2015. The Lesley Hall Scholarship is an annual award in Hall's honour by Arts Access Victoria.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Lesley 1954 births 2013 deaths Australian women activists Australian disability rights activists Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia