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Inverted Expectations (International Day of People With Disability 2024)

International Day of People With Disability is here again.  The time of year where we can celebrate the accomplishments of those of us that live with a disability. This year's theme was all about amplifying the leadership of people with disabilities and there are plenty of leaders that deserve to be amplified in the disability space.  Storm Menzies is a perfect example of a leader with a disability. Her makeup line ByStorm highlights that beauty comes in all abilities. ByStorm is an accessible line that allows people with disabilities to experience the joy of wearing makeup and expressing who they really are. The question "when you're in a wheelchair do you really need makeup?" is answered beautifully by Storm and her team.  This year I was invited to attend an International Day of People With Disability event hosted by the Victorian Disability Workers Commission. The Commissioner Dan Stubbs and their entire Enablers team are yet more living proof of amplifying leade...
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Global Homeostasis

 In biology for the human body to work at its maximum you need to achieve a state known as homeostasis. Which in layman's terms means the body's systems and functions must be in balance and work in concert with each other. Given the current temperature of the world, politically and environmentally, I think it is time to apply this biological principle to our communities, countries, and the world.  There was a time when the art of politics was the art of compromise.  We need to revise this art again. In Buddhism there is a concept known as the Middle Way, and in Christianity and Stoicism you have the Four Noble Virtues: Courage, Moderation, Justice, and Wisdom.  We need to get back to the classic sayings like the happy medium, the golden mean, and meeting in the middle.  There should not be so much polarisation.  Russia had their country. Ukraine had their country. There was no need for aggression on either side.  Israel had every right to defend themse...
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Sexuality Through the Ages

 It is twenty years this year since I was first approached by the School of Occupational Therapy to speak on the topic of transition to adulthood, disability, and sexuality. Since that time I have expanded to deliver disability education across Australia and yet disability and sexuality is still the most common topic I get asked to speak on.  With this in mind I am going to shock you all by saying I wish I had never had to speak on the topic. Sexuality is such a fundamental part of life that from the teenage years till death it should be assumed that anyone engaged in helping a human being with the occupation of life should automatically include the topic of sexuality.  Society has conflicting views when it comes to talking about and expressing sexuality. Add the word disability into the mix and people tend to run away or shut their eyes.  I started my sexual life like all young people by going through puberty. In the mid-nineties the environmental factors and condit...
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Lights! Camera! Rhyme Time!

Chris Van Ingen and William McInnes on set of Rhyme Time Photo credit: Charlie Kinross  For regular readers of this blog it is no secret that acting is my life, and my life is acting. I can now share with you a joyful experience I had shooting a film called Rhyme Time . Rhyme Time  is a thought provoking, sweet comedy about an old school librarian coming to terms with an ever changing modern world.  Throughout my career I have been lucky enough to be billed alongside great casts such as Rachel Griffiths, Claudia Karvan, and Matt Nable to name a few.  Rhyme Time continues my blessed luck working with Australian legends such as William McInnes from Blue Heelers , Sea Change , and NCIS Sydney fame. William is joined by Emily Havea best known for her work in Wentworth . The cast was rounded out by an amazing group of adorable and rambunctious children that completely stole the show and made the final act of the film one of the sweetest things I've ever seen. Lastly I ha...
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It’s called a u-turn

 To succeed in life you have to be willing to do regular inventory of your goals And if necessary do a complete 180.  There’s a reason it’s called a u-turn.  I have been pursuing my acting goals for 35 years I have been involved with trying to improve the disability world for 20 years And publishing my blog for 11 years.  While it is true I have had bursts of success I have been known to have a gradual directional drift And dear readers, I always like to use my own life As an example to remind you how to chase your goals.  At least two or three times a year I stop to check my true north And consider everything from whether or not  I should shut down my blog or my YouTube channel  Or whether I should double down on my current path.  You should ask yourself every year  Is it time for a u-turn. 
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Family, Community, Country

 I have been thinking a lot lately about how to make the best version of the world And the best version of yourself.  I think it comes down to getting back to the basics of family, community, country.  It is time to remove any us and them mentality that exists.  Having a tight knit family strengthens the community and a strong community  Creates a better country.. I think we need to get back to creating in person social networks Instead of relying on social media.  Maybe we should even stop calling it social media and call it virtual media. That way the term social gets back to its original meaning related to real people. In 2024 domestic violence related deaths in Australia have doubled. Violence against people you love should never happen. I have an old fashioned mentality when it comes to protecting people you love It is time for men to rediscover the Jane Austen style gentility And maybe even parts of the code of chivalry. The code of chivalry says a ma...
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More Than A Test Drive (Assistive Technology)

 In the forty years of living with a disability I have seen the evolution of assistive technology for people with disabilities. Assistive technology has gone from scissors on an electric toothbrush base to now AI and everything in between.  I have written many times about my journey with assistive technology. I know I would not be the independent person I am without it. From voice activation on my phone and computer to the mobility made possible by my electric wheelchair.  The biggest challenge I face using assistive technology is things don't always work the first time and you only get short opportunities to test equipment.  For example when I am at the peak of my day I can spend up to 18 hours in my wheelchair but when I am testing a new wheelchair I might only get three separate half hour test drives. Which doesn't give me the real feel about what it would feel like to spend the whole day or go to any of my local areas where I might be expected to use the wheelcha...
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