Humanity Platform

 Another International Day of People with a Disability is here; a time to celebrate the achievements and contributions of all people with disabilities.  This year there are many great things to highlight that people with disabilities have achieved. Without being patronising or exaggerating some of my biggest heroes and inspirations have continued to master the world.  We have to start with the always legendary Dylan Alcott's tenure as Australian of the Year. This year Dylan, while being a decade younger than me, has shown me the leader that I want to be. With his ongoing advocacy for people with disability at high level summits such as Labor's Jobs and Skills Summit and his continual push to make NDIS fairer combined with his amazing media presence I believe Dylan Alcott has been the best Australian of the Year in my lifetime.  The ongoing controversy about the cost of the NDIS has led to many people with disabilities feeling stressed and like we are a burden. I use this Intern

 COP27 is the United Nations Conference on Climate Change held in Egypt this year started on 6 November. This year's conference focuses on the theme 'Together for Implementation'. Recent UN reports show that current national climate commitments will limit warming to 2.5 to 2.8C missing the 1.5C target world leaders have agreed to.  Speaker after speaker are urging the world to move from nice ideas to real action hence the theme Together for Implementation .  There was a very inspiring speech by youth climate activist Leah Namugerwa where she called on the world to "live by the rule of nature, live for others. Trees do not eat their own fruits and rivers do not drink their own water." UN Secretary General António Guterres said “cooperate or perish”.  I can’t believe how often Al Gore, my climate superhero, has to warn the world and yet we still do nothing. In his speech he said our current level of emissions is like heating the world with 600 000 Hiroshima style bo

The Art of the Mind Festival is a brilliant creative arts festival that runs concurrently with Mental Health Week from the 9-14 October 2022.  The festival looks at the power of creativity to overcome and manage mental health difficulties.  Local community organisation GenU is running a series of mental health themed webinars for Mental Health Week. I will be joining a panel of creative people in a webinar titled ' Creative Arts, Managing the Mind and the Mental Health Benefits '. The panel will be hosted by Jules Haddock where I will be joining distinguished panellists Carly Botheras, Fiona Lucas, Michael Dunstan, Michelle Buggy, Luke Elliot, and Justine Martin where we will be discussing how our artistic practices have helped us during our mental health journeys.  Most people see my disability as the most difficult thing I have had to deal with in my life but the truth is I can deal with physical pain and limitation a lot easier than I can my depression and anxiety disorder. 

 My relationship to sexuality can be broken into two distinct phases; almost forty plus years of personal sexuality, and eighteen years as a sexual advocate and educator.  When you put both these phases together I have learned one very important lesson.  Sexuality must be a priority! Personally, sex and sexuality is what drives me the most. It has been my ultimate source of pleasure and frustration. The frustration comes when the people who are supposed to support me to live my best life ignore my desire for sex and sexuality.  Allied health professionals, such as occupational therapists, can be the bridge  between uncomfortable disability services and clients wanting to express themselves in a healthy and safe way.  The occupational therapy podcast OT After Dark has many episodes that perfectly capture how therapists can engage in the occupation of sexuality with their clients.  There are also a number of great publications covering the topic. I recommend everyone in the allied healt

 As I started to write the following I realised I have watched way too many American cop shows because I came up with the title, License and Registration Please. To talk about the first year anniversary of the Victorian Disability Worker Registration.  The Victorian Disability Worker Commission (VDWC) launched on 1 July last year. I emceed a webinar encouraging disability support workers to renew their registration and reminding those who have not yet registered of the professional benefits of doing so.  Disability Worker Registration allows support workers to have the professional recognition they deserve and at the same time gives people with disabilities the reassurance that if they employ a registered disability worker they have met the Victorian Safety and Quality Standards.  Now it's time to do some myth busting; the Victorian Disability Worker Registration is separate to the NDIS Quality and Safeguard Check.  The Victorian disability sector has always been a world leader and

 The fifteenth United Nations Conference of State Parties (COSP15) to the Convention of the Rights of People with Disabilities took place this year.  Most people would be aware of the conference related to climate change known as the COP. What the community might be less aware of is that the United Nations holds a similar conference to implement the Charter of Rights of People with Disabilities (CORPD).  The conference is made up of members from countries that have signed up to the CORPD. The conference makes sure that disability rights and inclusion is part of the bedrock of all United Nations' decisions and activity binding all signatories to the commitment of disability inclusion and rights.  Some key areas covered in the 2022 conference include: health outcomes for people with disabilities with a special emphasis on the COVID crisis; gender equality for all including people with disabilities; the impacts of climate change on society including people with disabilities; and, the

 My interaction with the disability sector is a strange intertwining of participant and worker.  For nearly forty years I have received disability services from agencies and support workers in the disability sector. My work as an advocate in the disability sector began in 2004. Which also started the strange feeling of being outside the service and yet working inside the sector.  To be a good worker in the disability sector you need to be able to take an holistic view of disability and the individuals that live with them. The disability sector is supposed to support people with disabilities to live independent lives. Rights and choice are ideally imbedded into every policy, procedure, and outcome delivered by agencies and workers for people with disabilities. I know the disability sector tries hard to do this but it is important to take the words from the documents and transform them into action in the real world. An example of this is the NDIS; the original design of the scheme was to

 With 2022 being a year of elections around the world, including Australia, it makes our vote very important in the defense of democracy. Politics tragics like myself know that politics is at its best when it is a contest of ideas that represents all people. Leadership is about creating a healthy community and making sure everyone has access to healthcare. This is especially important at the moment given that we are still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic despite what political leaders would like for us to believe. Healthy people cannot exist without a healthy economy and a healthy community and economy cannot exist without a healthy climate.  A leader is responsible for a working economy. In my opinion, a working economy is one that works for everyone and the very fact that the gap between the richest people in the world and the poorest people keeps growing shows that our economy is not working. For decades corporate elites have talked about the policy of trickle down economics bu

 Defend our NDIS; people have had enough of cuts and changes to the NDIS. The Every Australian Counts campaign has organised a national day of action and events across Australia to take place on 28th of April.  I have been involved in the NDIS from the initial trial phase through to today. People may remember that I was involved in an advertising campaign spruiking the benefits to come once the scheme was up and running.  ‘You’re in charge! Yes we are, aren’t we!’ For awhile this was the truth for participants like myself. I have been very lucky and received 90 percent of what I need from NDIS.  The question is would I have received the same benefits if I was not a skilled disability advocate?  People with disabilities want the original version of the scheme that was promised without having to fight for a reasonable request. It would be a more efficient scheme if the government put the millions of dollars in legal fees into service delivery instead.  According to the Australian Service

 There are times in our life when it's important to remember, no matter who we are and where we're from, we can all be David. Thousands of years ago a teenage boy went toe to toe with a fierce warrior to defend his nation when everyone was too afraid to. It is my belief that peace should be everyone's default position in their minds and hearts.  No individual person, government, or country has the right to attack another.  To ensure this is the case every citizen should have the skill and will to defend themselves; on the condition it is only done as an act of defense.  "So don't you be afraid of giants in your way. With God, you know that anything's possible. So step into the fight, He's right there by your side, the stones inside your hand might be small but watch the giants fall." ~ Francesca Battistelli, 'Giants Fall'. If we believe in democracy, freedom, and human rights we must be willing to join shoulder to shoulder against what the Aust

 It cannot be denied that my forty years on this planet wouldn't be the same without some important assistive technology. I am independent because of an electric wheelchair, a free standing hoist, and a very special automatic front door just to name a few of my assistive devices. Advances in technology have allowed me to have lighter, more portable ramps for easier access; voice activated software from my laptop to smartphone has enabled faster and simpler communication. My life is living proof of the power assistive technology has to a person with a disability but what happens when good tech goes bad? My wheelchair is my only access to mobility and in the past when something went wrong it was quite often a simple mechanical fix that my dad could perform. Now my chair runs on a computer software program which does allow for increased capability of the chair but when it breaks down there is no simple fix. Error warnings with convoluted number systems will pop up and instantly immobi

 In life it is important to understand boundaries and how to be a boundary rider. In my experience there are three ways to look at boundaries: one, personal boundaries; two, attitude boundaries; and three, social boundaries. The key to all three types is to know when to set boundaries and when to push the boundaries.  It is important to understand your personal boundaries. For me, this means understanding what you will and won't let other people do to you. It is an individual choice that each person must make. As part of personal boundaries you must also decide your own moral choices that you yourself will not cross. Once you have made these decisions you have the right to protect them and be aware that in democratic countries these rights are legally protected, no matter your age, race, or gender.  The second type of boundaries are attitude boundaries. When I say this I am referring to negative attitudes and voices in our own heads. These are the most difficult boundaries to break

 Another year has begun, I am determined to make it a 22 caliber year. I plan to do this by going back to my first principles.  Educate, motivate, protect, and lead with courage.  Over the past years, I believe I have been making things too complicated. When I have been my most successful is when I have followed these first principles.  I am going back to day one with my acting where my goal is simply to be the best student of acting there has ever been. By doing this I hope to achieve my remaining acting goals within the next five years.  I am going back to day one with my speaking and disability advocacy as I have recognised while many people consider me a leader in this area, I know myself that I’m still not the best I can be and I am determined to join my voice to the many brothers and sisters with a disability who are trying to make a difference for our community.  I am going back to day one with my poetry. I am going to join as many poetry groups as I can and continue to share my