The final Open Dialogue for the year

It’s been a big year for people with disability and we want to talk about some of the big moments that have shaped 2025. 

We will hear from our co-hosts and guest speakers about what they think are some of the most memorable things that have happened this year.  

Join us for the final Open Dialogue event of 2025, as we reflect on some of challenges and also the joys of the community.  

We would like to hear what you think too, as we talk about another huge year and what also may be ahead for the Disability Dialogue in 2026.  

The final Open Dialogue for the year
It&rsquo;s been a big year for people with disability and we want to talk about some of the big moments that have shaped 2025.&nbsp;
We will hear from our co-hosts and guest speakers about what they think are some of the most memorable things that have happened this year. &nbsp;
Join us for the final Open Dialogue event of 2025, as we reflect on some of challenges and also the joys of the community. &nbsp;
We would like to hear what you think too, as we talk about another huge year and what also may be ahead for the Disability Dialogue in 2026. &nbsp;

News bulletins published by Powerd Media

Powerd News

Disability Dialogue - What happened in 2025 for people with disability? A year in review.

Summary
The event started by explaining what peer support means: it is about people who have similar lived experiences connecting and sharing with each other.
Then it discussed the benefits of peer support including emotional support, building confidence, sharing information, and creating a sense of belonging.
We learned that peer support can be formal (organised groups) or informal (casual meetups).  But we heard that the most effective peer support requires someone in a leadership or facilitator role to keep things organised and to make sure the peer support can keep happening for a long time.
Availability of groups and funding are major challenges for peer support, especially for groups run by people with disability themselves. 
One of the major challenges that our speakers talked about was that there is not enough funding for peer support. Another challenge is that there are not enough peer support groups. 
Rose-Ann and Romeo shared a great conversation about their work with Positive Powerful Parents (PPP). PPP is a self-advocacy group run by, and for, parents with intellectual disability that provides peer support. They also provide  training and resources.
We heard a presentation from Dr Qian Fang about her work researching people from diverse backgrounds. Dr Qiang Fang also had a conversation with David Yang about his peer support work in the Chinese community. They talked about the language and cultural barriers in accessing support. 

Useful resources

This section has links to some resources that were shared during the event.

Practical Guides

Click here for an easy-read guide about peer support. 

Click here to watch a video by Positive Powerful Parenting about running safe peer support groups.

Peer support places

Click here to find a Self Advocacy Group/Peer Group in your area.

Click here to watch a video by Positive Powerful Parenting about the experiences of some parents with an intellectual disability.

Click here to learn more about Purple Orange, an agency that organises peer support.

Click here to find out more about Get Started which is a peer support organisation which our speaker, Mandy, talked about.

Click here to learn about how an NDIS Local Area Coordinator (LAC) may be able to support you to establish community connections, which may include Peer support.

Click here for information on how to find your LAC.

Click here to find out more about Illuminating Insights, an organisation that one of our audience members shared in the chat.

Auslan & Non-English Language Resources

Click here to find Auslan resources about peer support.  

Click here to find resources in Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Khmer, Vietnamese. 

Academic Material

Click here to view Dr Qian Fang’s PowerPoint slides from her presentation.

Click here to view an Easy Read version of Dr Qian Fang’s PowerPoint slides from her presentation.

Click here to see the research called “Accessing and participating in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS): Views and experiences of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) communities – Nov 2018. 

Click here to find out more about the research from UNSW called Peer support practice review.

Click here to find out more about the UNSW Outcome evaluation of icare lifetime care Community Participation Grants

Other shared links

Click here to watch the National Mental Health Consumer & Carer Forum Webinar on Lived Experience Theory of Change.

About our panelistsCath Mahony

Cath is a passionate disability rights advocate and community connector based in Newcastle, NSW. As a skilled presenter, facilitator and trainer, she brings lived experience and storytelling to create meaningful change across face-to-face and online workshops, conferences, and webinars.

Cath believes deeply in the power of sharing stories and supporting others to tell theirs. She regularly contributes to media conversations about disability matters and has been instrumental in establishing Community Disability Alliance Hunter (CDAH), a disabled people’s organisation championing the rights of people with disability to live self-determined lives as active citizens.

Through her work in consultations, focus groups and community partnerships, Cath demonstrates that what we share in common far outweighs our differences. She harnesses the transformative power of peer support and continues to advocate for the human rights of people with disability.

Ayah Wehbe

Ayah Wehbe is a researcher at University of NSW Sydney focusing on disability, with a particular interest in the experiences of Australian Muslim women with hearing loss, which she explores in her PhD and community work. She uses her lived experience and community involvement to make research accessible and bridge gaps between different groups.

Mandy McCracken

After a successful career in publishing and advertising sales Mandy McCracken enjoyed time at home raising her daughters. Since losing her hands and feet to sepsis in 2013, Mandy has worked as a content creator for ABC Radio and online, is a regular face in the Australian media, a storyteller and public speaker.

She is on the Board of Berry Street Yooralla, TOM Melbourne and is the Founder and CEO of Get Started Disability Support Australia, supporting those who are new to disability. She co-founded The Quad Squad, a multiple limb loss support group and regularly volunteers with La Trobe Universities Prosthetic Department, helping to educate the next generation of prosthetists.

Dr Qian Fang

Dr Qian Fang is a lecturer at the UniSA Justice and Society, University of South Australia. Qian’s expertise is in culturally responsive disability policy and practice for people with disability and their families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, particularly focusing on peer support networks run by and for people with disability and their families from CALD backgrounds, disability organisations working with CALD communities for culturally responsive practice and comparative research on the international Chinese community.

Romeo

Romeo is a strong self-advocate who has been involved with PPP for over 13 years. He is passionate about parents with disabilities keeping their children or getting their children back into their care.

Rose-Ann

Rose-Ann is a mother of three children who self-advocates for herself, her children, her family, her friends, and parents around the world from diverse backgrounds, including those who are LGBTIQA+, and from any religion, culture, or country.

 

About Disability DialogueWho We Are

The Disability Dialogue brings people with disability together to talk about issues that matter to us.

Our Values
We create a safe space for people with disability, their families, friends and supporters
We believe people with disability are experts in our own lives
We are led by people with disability

Why This Matters

We want to:
Generate big ideas
Find partners to bring good ideas to life
Improve the systems and services we use

Our Partners

The Disability Dialogue is a joint initiative of:
DANA
Inclusion Australia
Alliance 20
Melbourne Disability Institute

We are funded through an Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) grant from the Department of Social Services (DSS) and also acknowledge the support of the Community Broadcasting Foundation.

Summary
<ul>
<li>The event started by explaining what peer support means: it is about people who have similar lived experiences connecting and sharing with each other.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Then it discussed the benefits of peer support including emotional support, building confidence, sharing information, and creating a sense of belonging.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>We learned that peer support can be formal (organised groups) or informal (casual meetups).&nbsp; But we heard that the most effective peer support requires someone in a leadership or facilitator role to keep things organised and to make sure the peer support can keep happening for a long time.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Availability of groups and funding are major challenges for peer support, especially for groups run by people with disability themselves.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>One of the major challenges that our speakers talked about was that there is not enough funding for peer support. Another challenge is that there are not enough peer support groups.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Rose-Ann and Romeo shared a great conversation about their work with Positive Powerful Parents (PPP). PPP is a self-advocacy group run by, and for, parents with intellectual disability that provides peer support. They also provide&nbsp; training and resources.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>We heard a presentation from Dr Qian Fang about her work researching people from diverse backgrounds. Dr Qiang Fang also had a conversation with David Yang about his peer support work in the Chinese community. They talked about the language and cultural barriers in accessing support.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Useful resources
This section has links to some resources that were shared during the event.
Practical Guides
Click here for an easy-read guide about peer support.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BakjQcgCSRk&amp;feature=youtu.be">Click here to watch a video</a>&nbsp;by Positive Powerful Parenting about running safe peer support groups.
Peer support places
<a href="https://www.voicestogether.com.au/">Click here</a>&nbsp;to find a Self Advocacy Group/Peer Group in your area.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK14De5aPNA">Click here to watch a video</a>&nbsp;by Positive Powerful Parenting about the experiences of some parents with an intellectual disability.
<a href="https://purpleorange.org.au/who-we-are/who-we-are">Click here</a>&nbsp;to learn more about Purple Orange, an agency that organises peer support.
<a href="https://www.getstarteddisability.org.au/">Click here to find</a>&nbsp;out more about Get Started which is a peer support organisation which our speaker, Mandy, talked about.
<a href="https://improvements.ndis.gov.au/how-we-can-help/making-connections">Click here to learn</a>&nbsp;about how an NDIS Local Area Coordinator (LAC) may be able to support you to establish community connections, which may include Peer support.
<a href="https://www.ndis.gov.au/contact/locations">Click here</a>&nbsp;for information on how to find your LAC.
<a href="https://www.illuminatinginsights.com.au/">Click here</a>&nbsp;to find out more about Illuminating Insights, an organisation that one of our audience members shared in the chat.
Auslan &amp; Non-English Language Resources
<a href="https://www.peerconnect.org.au/accessible-resources/auslan-resources/">Click here</a>&nbsp;to find Auslan resources about peer support.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.peerconnect.org.au/accessible-resources/resources-in-other-languages/">Click here</a>&nbsp;to find resources in Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Khmer, Vietnamese.&nbsp;
Academic Material
<a href="https://app.box.com/file/1896840592069?s=9fssw6rlqppxn61ygt78ous2h4d9d388">Click here to view</a>&nbsp;Dr Qian Fang&rsquo;s PowerPoint slides from her presentation.
<a href="https://app.box.com/file/1898425180182?s=ja1xy2kb5wvu4hnfpv3l51ix29f7min8">Click here to view</a>&nbsp;an Easy Read version of Dr Qian Fang&rsquo;s PowerPoint slides from her presentation.
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/11Q21sAfBae6tgDWNhbxGEF6OillMTqvA/view">Click here to see</a>&nbsp;the research called &ldquo;Accessing and participating in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS): Views and experiences of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) communities &ndash; Nov 2018.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/research/sprc/our-projects/peer-support-practice-review">Click here to find out more</a>&nbsp;about the research from UNSW called Peer support practice review.
<a href="https://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/entities/publication/2ed83458-0ccd-409e-83ad-dcfcb1fa5fa2">Click here to find out more</a>&nbsp;about the UNSW Outcome evaluation of icare lifetime care Community Participation Grants
Other shared links
<a href="https://nmhccf.org.au/our-work/webinars/nmhccf-lived-experience-theory-of-change">Click here to watch</a>&nbsp;the National Mental Health Consumer &amp; Carer Forum Webinar on Lived Experience Theory of Change.
About our panelistsCath Mahony
Cath is a passionate disability rights advocate and community connector based in Newcastle, NSW. As a skilled presenter, facilitator and trainer, she brings lived experience and storytelling to create meaningful change across face-to-face and online workshops, conferences, and webinars.
Cath believes deeply in the power of sharing stories and supporting others to tell theirs. She regularly contributes to media conversations about disability matters and has been instrumental in establishing Community Disability Alliance Hunter (CDAH), a disabled people&rsquo;s organisation championing the rights of people with disability to live self-determined lives as active citizens.
Through her work in consultations, focus groups and community partnerships, Cath demonstrates that what we share in common far outweighs our differences. She harnesses the transformative power of peer support and continues to advocate for the human rights of people with disability.
Ayah Wehbe
Ayah Wehbe is a researcher at University of NSW Sydney focusing on disability, with a particular interest in the experiences of Australian Muslim women with hearing loss, which she explores in her PhD and community work. She uses her lived experience and community involvement to make research accessible and bridge gaps between different groups.
Mandy McCracken
After a successful career in publishing and advertising sales Mandy McCracken enjoyed time at home raising her daughters. Since losing her hands and feet to sepsis in 2013, Mandy has worked as a content creator for ABC Radio and online, is a regular face in the Australian media, a storyteller and public speaker.
She is on the Board of Berry Street Yooralla, TOM Melbourne and is the Founder and CEO of Get Started Disability Support Australia, supporting those who are new to disability. She co-founded The Quad Squad, a multiple limb loss support group and regularly volunteers with La Trobe Universities Prosthetic Department, helping to educate the next generation of prosthetists.
Dr Qian Fang
Dr Qian Fang is a lecturer at the UniSA Justice and Society, University of South Australia. Qian&rsquo;s expertise is in culturally responsive disability policy and practice for people with disability and their families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, particularly focusing on peer support networks run by and for people with disability and their families from CALD backgrounds, disability organisations working with CALD communities for culturally responsive practice and comparative research on the international Chinese community.
Romeo
Romeo is a strong self-advocate who has been involved with PPP for over 13 years. He is passionate about parents with disabilities keeping their children or getting their children back into their care.
Rose-Ann
Rose-Ann is a mother of three children who self-advocates for herself, her children, her family, her friends, and parents around the world from diverse backgrounds, including those who are LGBTIQA+, and from any religion, culture, or country.
&nbsp;
About Disability Dialogue<a></a>Who We Are
The Disability Dialogue brings people with disability together to talk about issues that matter to us.
<a></a>Our Values
<ul>
<li>We create a safe space for people with disability, their families, friends and supporters</li>
<li>We believe people with disability are experts in our own lives</li>
<li>We are led by people with disability</li>
</ul>
<a></a>Why This Matters
We want to:
<ul>
<li>Generate big ideas</li>
<li>Find partners to bring good ideas to life</li>
<li>Improve the systems and services we use</li>
</ul>
<a></a>Our Partners
The Disability Dialogue is a joint initiative of:
<ul>
<li>DANA</li>
<li>Inclusion Australia</li>
<li>Alliance 20</li>
<li>Melbourne Disability Institute</li>
</ul>
We are funded through an Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) grant from the Department of Social Services (DSS) and also acknowledge the support of the Community Broadcasting Foundation.

Disability Dialogue: Connecting to Community – Peer Support

*TRIGGER WARNING* This recording contains a discussion that touches on self-harm and spousal abuse at the one hour mark (around 1:05:00). Listener discression is advised and for support you visit beyondblue.org.au or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

You can read the transcript of the event here.

Summary
This event was about targeted foundational supports for children, which are supports for children who are not part of the NDIS. We wanted to know what good support looks like for children, their families and their supporters.
The event was hosted by Todd Winther, who is a policy expert in the disability sector,  and Sara Gingold who is a writer. They both are people with disability.
Todd and Sara briefly talked about the recent Federal Government announcement about the Thriving Kids Program, which is a program to support children with mild to moderate developmental delay and autism, but we still don’t know how the program will be rolled out.
Then we heard from Sarah and Stella Barton. Sarah is Stella’s mother, and she shared her experience of navigating support for Sara at a young age before the NDIS existed. Stella also talked about how important it is to listen to children about how they want to be supported and decisions around their care.
We also heard from Gretchen Young from SNAICC, which stands for Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care. SNAICC is the national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. 
Gretchen talked about the need for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to have access to culturally safe support. Culturally safe support means people feel safe, respected and feel like they belong to a community based on shared ideas. 
Then we heard from Akii Ngo, who shared their experience growing up without any support. They spoke about stigma and lack of understanding within their culture. They talked about the importance of sharing experiences, even when they are traumatic, if it helps others have the knowledge they need to get the right support. 
They talked about how important it is to have community. They speak up for themselves because they feel safe and supported.
The event closed with an invitation to the audience about the next Open Dialogue about how people with disability can prepare and stay safe during weather-related disasters.

Our speakers

Todd Winther
Todd is a political nerd with an academic background in political leadership, party politics, and disability policy who has taught these subjects at multiple universities. He is an NDIS Participant with a severe form of Cerebral Palsy. Todd spends every day of his life fighting for the political and human rights of people with disabilities. It is his mission and his passion. Todd uses his personal experiences and storytelling to empower others and create a more equitable world.

Sara Gingold
Sara is the Editor-in-Chief of DSC’s Resource Hub. She personifies the voice of DSC in her own passionate style and prides herself on her research skills and fact-finding ability. Diagnosed with ME/CFS in 2012, Sara’s lived experience of disability shines through in her work and she is a highly skilled, authoritative NDIS commentator. She began her career overseeing innovative Cambodian education projects and has quickly become an indispensable part of the DSC team.Stella Barton
Stella Barton is a disability rights advocate and Paralympian. She attended Shelford Girls Grammar and also has a Bachelor of Arts from Swinburne University. In 2024 she competed at the Paris Paralympics in the Grade 1 Para Dressage, scoring over 70% in all her events and coming 7th from a field of 22 riders in her grade. Stella has been involved in activism around accessible public transport and has also presented community radio programs for SYN FM and 3CR.

Sarah Barton
Sarah Barton is a 2010 Churchill Fellow with 30 years’ filmmaking experience. Her first film Untold Desires (1994) about sexuality and disability won the first Logie Award for SBS television and an AFI Award.  In 2003 Sarah created and produced 70 episodes of the award-winning disability community television series No Limits. In 2017 Sarah’s feature documentary Defiant Lives about the disability rights movement premiered at Sydney Film Festival and also screened at the United Nations in New York.  In 2024 Sarah was a member of the Australian Paralympic team as the key support person for her daughter Stella who competed in the Paris Paralympics in para-dressage.  Sarah is currently making a feature documentary about comedian and disability activist Stella Young. 

Gretchen Young
Gretchen is a Gadigal/Eora descendent from Redfern NSW and, before relocating to Melbourne, lived in northern NSW, Bundjalung country, for many years.  She has over 25 years’ experience in organisational leadership roles, including State and National Peaks, human services, community development and strategic reform. She also has extensive program/service delivery experience, including mobilising large staff teams. 

Gretchen joined SNAICC in 2022 and is a crucial member of the SNAICC executive team as the Executive Director Programs.  Prior to working at SNAICC she worked in primary health and community health settings and has led large community-based sector development non-government organisations in NSW for many years.  

Gretchen is passionate about the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations and self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.   

*TRIGGER WARNING* This recording contains a discussion that touches on self-harm and spousal abuse at the one hour mark (around 1:05:00). Listener discression is advised and for support you visit beyondblue.org.au or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
You can read the<a href="https://disabilitydialogue.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/250825-Essential-Media-The-Disability-Dialogue-Unlocking-Potential-Support-for-Children-with-Disability.pdf"> transcript of the event here.</a>
Summary
<ul>
<li>This event was about targeted foundational supports for children, which are supports for children who are not part of the NDIS. We wanted to know what good support looks like for children, their families and their supporters.</li>
<li>The event was hosted by Todd Winther, who is a policy expert in the disability sector, &nbsp;and Sara Gingold who is a writer. They both are people with disability.</li>
<li>Todd and Sara briefly talked about the recent Federal Government announcement about&nbsp;the&nbsp;Thriving Kids Program, which is a program to support children with&nbsp;mild to moderate developmental delay and autism, but we still don&rsquo;t know how the program will be rolled out.</li>
<li>Then we heard from Sarah and Stella Barton. Sarah is Stella&rsquo;s mother, and she shared her experience of navigating support for Sara at a young age before the NDIS existed. Stella also talked about how important it is to listen to children about how they want to be supported and decisions around their care.</li>
<li>We also heard from Gretchen Young from&nbsp;SNAICC,&nbsp;which stands for Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care.&nbsp;SNAICC is the national peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Gretchen talked about the need for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to have access to&nbsp;culturally safe support. Culturally safe support means people feel safe, respected and feel like they belong to a community based on shared ideas.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Then we heard from Akii Ngo, who shared their experience growing up without any support. They spoke about stigma and lack of understanding within their culture. They talked about the importance of sharing experiences, even when they are traumatic, if it helps&nbsp;others have the knowledge they need to get the right support.&nbsp;</li>
<li>They talked about how important it is to have community. They speak up for themselves because they feel safe and supported.</li>
<li>The event closed with an invitation to the audience about the next Open Dialogue about how people with disability can prepare and stay safe during weather-related disasters.</li>
</ul>
Our speakers
Todd Winther Todd is a political nerd with an academic background in political leadership, party politics, and disability policy who has taught these subjects at multiple universities. He is an NDIS Participant with a severe form of Cerebral Palsy. Todd spends every day of his life fighting for the political and human rights of people with disabilities. It is his mission and his passion. Todd uses his personal experiences and storytelling to empower others and create a more equitable world.
Sara Gingold Sara is the Editor-in-Chief of DSC&rsquo;s Resource Hub. She personifies the voice of DSC in her own passionate style and prides herself on her research skills and fact-finding ability. Diagnosed with ME/CFS in 2012, Sara&rsquo;s lived experience of disability shines through in her work and she is a highly skilled, authoritative NDIS commentator. She began her career overseeing innovative Cambodian education projects and has quickly become an indispensable part of the DSC team.Stella Barton Stella Barton is a disability rights advocate and Paralympian. She attended Shelford Girls Grammar and also has a Bachelor of Arts from Swinburne University. In 2024 she competed at the Paris Paralympics in the Grade 1 Para Dressage, scoring over 70% in all her events and coming 7th&nbsp;from a field of 22 riders in her grade. Stella has been involved in activism around accessible public transport and has also presented community radio programs for SYN FM and 3CR.
Sarah Barton Sarah Barton is a 2010 Churchill Fellow with 30 years&rsquo; filmmaking experience. Her first film&nbsp;Untold Desires (1994)&nbsp;about sexuality and disability won the first Logie Award for SBS television and an AFI Award.&nbsp;&nbsp;In 2003 Sarah created and produced 70 episodes of the award-winning disability community television series&nbsp;No Limits.&nbsp;In 2017 Sarah&rsquo;s feature documentary&nbsp;Defiant Lives&nbsp;about the disability rights movement premiered at Sydney Film Festival and also screened at the United Nations in New York.&nbsp;&nbsp;In 2024 Sarah was a member of the Australian Paralympic team as the key support person for her daughter Stella who competed in the Paris Paralympics in para-dressage.&nbsp;&nbsp;Sarah is currently making a feature documentary about comedian and disability activist Stella Young.&nbsp;
Gretchen Young Gretchen is a Gadigal/Eora descendent from Redfern NSW and, before relocating to Melbourne, lived in northern NSW, Bundjalung country, for many years.  She has over 25 years&rsquo; experience in organisational leadership roles, including State and National Peaks, human services, community development and strategic reform. She also has extensive program/service delivery experience, including mobilising large staff teams.&nbsp;
Gretchen joined SNAICC in 2022 and is a crucial member of the SNAICC executive team as the Executive Director Programs.  Prior to working at SNAICC she worked in primary health and community health settings and has led large community-based sector development non-government organisations in NSW for many years.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Gretchen is passionate about the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations and self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.  &nbsp;

Disability Dialogue: Unlocking potential: support for children with disability 

Summary
The event started with a panel discussion between the host Elly Desmarchelier and panellists Todd Wither, Emma Myers and Jared Simkus. They are all people with disability who shared their ideas on safe and accessible transport.
Then we heard from Dr Lisa Stafford who is an expert in accessible transport. She talked about her research about transport for people with disability and why It’s important for people with disability to be able to use transport.
Lisa said lots of people with disability think transport is difficult to use.
This means lots of people with disability miss out on seeing doctors, taking shifts at work or seeing friends because they cannot use transport. 
Everyone agreed transport needs to be more fair and safer to use.
Then there was a 10 minute break. 
After the break, we were joined by Quang Ngyuen, and Noah, his support person. Noah talked about Quang’s role on the Accessible Transport Advisory Committee and how he helps make transport more accessible for his community.
Then we had an open discussion with questions from the audience about transport with all of our panellists.

Resources

Learn more about Lisa’s work here.

About our panelists

Todd Winther
Todd is a disability advocate who lives with cerebral palsy. He cares about politics and disability rights. He hopes his experiences helps others feel like they can advocate for disability rights, too.

Emma Myers
Emma is a writer, actor and disability advocate who lives in Canberra. She is the first Disability Rights and Political Reporter at Powerd, where she works. She cares about sharing stories of people with disability through the media.

Jared Simkus
Jared is employed by Speakout as a community educator currently working on a new project called Respect our Ability. Jared is also currently participating in a reference group for a National/International transport company. Jared’s only mode of transport is public transport. Jared enjoys attending monthly Self advocacy group meetings and has previously delivered road to success training and been part of voice-overs created by Speakout.

Quang Nguyen
Quang is the Chairperson for Council for Intellectual Disability and has been recently been on the Disability Council at ATAC (Accessible Transport Advisory Committee). He was a part of the trial runs when the new SouthWest Link train replacement buses were being rolled out during the new metro train upgrades.

Dr Lisa Stafford
A passionate leader and advocate for inclusive communities, cities and fair transport. She has over 25 years of experience in research, education, and community planning. She drives change by bringing together disability inclusion, urban planning and transport. Lisa is also dedicated to using inclusive methods that ensure everyone’s voices, especially children and those with complex communication needs, are heard in research and planning. Read more here.

And our host, Elly Desmarchelier

Elly is a sought after speaker, writer, event facilitator and disability rights campaigner. You might recognise her as the national spokesperson for the Defend Our NDIS campaign during the 2022 Federal election. You can check out some of her work here.

Summary
<ul>
<li>The event started with a panel discussion between the host Elly Desmarchelier and panellists Todd Wither, Emma Myers and Jared Simkus.&nbsp;They are all people with disability who shared their ideas on safe and accessible transport.</li>
<li>Then we heard from Dr Lisa Stafford who is an expert in accessible transport. She talked about her research about transport for people with disability and why It&rsquo;s important for people with disability to be able to use transport.</li>
<li>Lisa said lots of people with disability think transport is difficult to use.</li>
<li>This means lots of people with disability miss out on seeing doctors, taking shifts at work or seeing friends because they cannot use transport.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Everyone agreed transport needs to be more fair and safer to use.</li>
<li>Then there was a 10 minute break.&nbsp;</li>
<li>After the break, we were joined by Quang Ngyuen, and Noah, his support person. Noah talked about Quang&rsquo;s role on the Accessible Transport Advisory Committee and how he helps make transport more accessible for his community.</li>
<li>Then we had an open discussion with questions from the audience about transport with all of our panellists.</li>
</ul>
Resources
Learn more about Lisa&rsquo;s work&nbsp;<a href="https://inclusivefutures.griffith.edu.au/news/news_feed/inclusive-futures-welcoming-dr-lisa-stafford-arc-future-fellow-2">here</a>.
About our panelists
Todd Winther Todd is a disability advocate who lives with cerebral palsy. He cares about politics and disability rights. He hopes his experiences helps others feel like they can advocate for disability rights, too.
Emma Myers Emma is a writer, actor and disability advocate who lives in Canberra. She is the first Disability Rights and Political Reporter at Powerd, where she works. She cares about sharing stories of people with disability through the media.
Jared Simkus Jared is employed by Speakout as a community educator currently working on a new project called Respect our Ability. Jared is also currently participating in a reference group for a National/International transport company. Jared&rsquo;s only mode of transport is public transport. Jared enjoys attending monthly Self advocacy group meetings and has previously delivered road to success training and been part of voice-overs created by Speakout.
Quang Nguyen Quang is the Chairperson for Council for Intellectual Disability and has been recently been on the Disability Council at ATAC (Accessible Transport Advisory Committee). He was a part of the trial runs when the new SouthWest Link train replacement buses were being rolled out during the new metro train upgrades.
Dr Lisa Stafford A passionate leader and advocate for inclusive communities, cities and fair transport. She has over 25 years of experience in research, education, and community planning. She drives change by bringing together disability inclusion, urban planning and transport. Lisa is also dedicated to using inclusive methods that ensure everyone&rsquo;s voices, especially children and those with complex communication needs, are heard in research and planning.&nbsp;<a href="https://inclusivefutures.griffith.edu.au/news/news_feed/inclusive-futures-welcoming-dr-lisa-stafford-arc-future-fellow-2">Read more here.</a>
And our host,&nbsp;Elly Desmarchelier
Elly is a sought after speaker, writer, event facilitator and disability rights campaigner. You might recognise her as the national spokesperson for the Defend Our NDIS campaign during the 2022 Federal election.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ellydesmarchelier.com/elly-work">You can check out some of her work here.</a>

Disability Dialogue - What happened in 2025 for people with disability? A year in review.

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