WE hope Australia is getting better when it comes to the treatment of people with a disability, but we should not fool ourselves that there is still not more to be done.
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Tuesday was International Day of People With a Disability, a perfect opportunity to reflect on how far we've come.
Kurt Fearnley was patron for the day, saying he wanted it to be "a launching pad for further action".
He said people with disabilities were entitled to the same "respect, independence and choice" as others. He's calling for honest discussion about the barriers in society that prevent this. He wants people to work together to break down these barriers.
He asserted that people with disabilities have the same rights to employment, respect, independence and equality as everyone else.
And one of his messages is that we all have a role to play in breaking down the barriers faced by people with disabilities.
Mr Fearnley says one-in-five people in Australia live with a disability. That's 4.3 million people.
He says people with a disability are less likely to have a job. They face daily challenges that people without a disability rarely do.
And that's one of the reasons we've today decided to prominently feature the story of Bathurst man Josh Shearman in the Western Advocate.
Josh, 20, was diagnosed at age two with a rare genetic disorder that has affected his verbal communication and fine motor skills.
But his story is all about what he can do rather than what he can't
Josh runs his own business, JLS Mail Link, where he collects mail from the Bathurst Post Office to deliver to 14 businesses throughout the city.
The work gives him purpose and a routine, and a great deal of satisfaction.
Crucially, though, he has been accepted in his role by the many businesses he comes in contact with throughout the day - and that's an example for the rest of us.
"It's important for regional communities to provide opportunities for people with a disability, as they are capable of making a positive difference," Josh's mother, Vannessa, told the Western Advocate.
We all have a role to play and our society can only benefit from becoming more inclusive.
And not for just one day a year. The challenge for all of us is to be better every day.
