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As Endeavour Foundation marks 75 years of advocacy, we are reflecting not only on our history, but on how advocacy is changing.
Today, people are no longer just being supported to speak up, they are leading conversations, sharing lived experience, and shaping the services designed to support them.
For decades, our advocacy focused on creating opportunity, removing barriers, and amplifying voices. In 2025, this shift became tangible through our first self-advocacy workshops, where clients shared their experiences, ideas, and hopes for the future.
These workshops represent an important step forward as we continue to build services and communities shaped by the people we support.
Self-Advocacy in Action
Our first self-advocacy workshops showed what is possible when people are given the opportunity to share their voices.
Participants spoke openly about what matters to them, the support they want, and how services can continue to improve.
Many spoke with confidence and pride, sharing ideas shaped by their lived experience and their hopes for greater independence and inclusion.
Danielle Engler, who has been with Endeavour Foundation for more than a decade, said self-advocacy creates opportunities to be heard.
“Self-advocacy gives us an opportunity to say what we want to say,” she said.
“If we don’t speak up, we don’t get our opinions out there and no one gets a chance of doing what they want to do.
“Everyone has a voice, and if you don’t speak up for yourself, it’s difficult to get people to help you,” Danielle said.
How Advocacy Has Grown With Our Community
Advocacy has always been part of Endeavour Foundation’s story.
In the early years, families and supporters spoke up because people with intellectual disability were excluded from education, employment, and everyday life.
Their determination helped establish early services and influence government policy at a time when few supports existed.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Endeavour Foundation, alongside families and supporters, advocated for greater inclusion for people with intellectual disability, helping expand access to education, supported employment, and community-based services across Queensland and regional Australia.
Head of Advocacy at Endeavour Foundation Matt Gillett said listening closely leads to better outcomes and more meaningful inclusion.
“From the beginning, Endeavour Foundation has championed the rights of people with disability and their families,” he said.
“Today, advocacy is no longer just about speaking on someone’s behalf. It is about recognising that people are experts in their own lives and that services are strongest when they reflect individual goals. It’s about supporting people to express their preferences, raise concerns, and make decisions about their own supports,” Mr Gillett said.
A Proud History Guiding What Comes Next
For 75 years, Endeavour Foundation has worked to ensure people with disability have choice and meaningful opportunities.
From advocating for education and employment, to supporting community inclusion and contributing to national disability reform, our approach has always been guided by listening to people and responding to what they tell us.
This history matters. It reminds us that progress has always been driven by people coming together, speaking up, and pushing for better outcomes.
Advocacy at Endeavour Foundation Through the Years
1951
Endeavour Foundation is established by families advocating for education, support, and inclusion for children with intellectual disability.
1967 to 1978
Advocacy supports the expansion of education, supported employment, and community-based services, including some of the first government-subsidised workshops in Australia.
Early 1980s
Endeavour Foundation adopts the principle of the least restrictive alternative and begins actively encouraging people with disability to speak for themselves.
1990s
Advocacy contributes to stronger disability legislation and greater focus on rights, quality, and outcomes for people using services.
2010s
Endeavour Foundation plays a role in shaping choice and control under the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
2025
The first Endeavour Foundation Self-Advocacy Conference is held, marking a new chapter where people lead conversations about their lives and services.
Creating a Culture That Listens
Self-advocacy grows when people are supported with the right tools and encouragement.
That is why Endeavour Foundation is developing workshops and learning modules to build confidence and communication skills now and into the future.
These resources will support people to speak up about their needs, goals, and concerns. They will also support workers to strengthen their listening skills and respond in meaningful ways.
This work builds on decades of advocacy and is being shared across the sector, because strong self-advocacy benefits everyone.
As we mark 75 years of people, purpose, and progress, we remain committed to a future where speaking up leads to action, and where services are shaped by the people they exist to support.
Together, we are creating a more inclusive environment where people feel confident to advocate for themselves and know they will be heard.
Advocacy is more than a legacy, it shapes how support is delivered today. Learn how Endeavour Foundation services support choice, independence, and meaningful inclusion.
