Appointed to the Vision Australia board at last year’s annual general meeting, Darren Fittler comes from a strong background of disability advocacy.
A senior partner with law firm Gilbert+Tobin who specialises in the provision of legal assistance to charities and not-for-profit organisations, Darren isn’t unfamiliar with what sitting on the board of an organisation like Vision Australia entails. However, his work and having a young family means he isn’t left with much time for anything else
“I’ve sat on numerous boards before, so the concept wasn’t foreign to me. With my legal practice specialising in the not-for-profit and charity space I do get a number of requests and because of that my immediate response is usually no,” Darren said.
As a previous of client of the Royal Blind Society and Vision Australia, Darren has a strong understanding of how Vision Australia supports the blind and low vision community. That understanding combined with an approach from Chairman Andrew Moffat was enough to convince Darren to reconsider his usual response when it came to the Vision Australia board.
“I’ve been a client in the past so I wasn’t unfamiliar with the services Vision Australia offer, but joining the board wasn’t anything that was on my radar. The fact that Andrew reached out to me to join the board really meant a lot to me so I decided to seek nomination.”
Prior to joining the Vision Australia board Darren has extensive experience in advocating on behalf of people with a disability. He participated in the drafting of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability at the United Nations in New York and currently sits on the NSW Attorney Generals Disability Advisory Council. While his lived experience as somebody who is blind may have contributed to his advocacy efforts, Darren believes he would have ended up on a similar path even if he had not lost his sight at the age of 13.
“I’ve always been somebody who is pretty community minded and I have had a bit to do with the disability rights movement over the years.
“I do have that lived experience of living with a disability, but I do think I would’ve ended up on this path regardless of that.”
While he has only been on the board since October, Darren believes he has made the right decision, though he hopes he can still make time for some of his favourite ways to relax.
“With work and having two kids I don’t get a lot of time to enjoy hobbies or pastimes, but I am enjoying exploring the growing world of craft beer that is around us.
“I really enjoy cryptic crosswords and cribbage, but I don’t get much time for those anymore, though I’ve still been able to find some time to make it to the gym.”