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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 conditions around sexuali
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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 had the opportuni

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. 

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 man should honour and protect G

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 wheelchair.  Anothe

Don't Just Tick the Empowerment Box

 This year marks my twentieth anniversary of public speaking and disability education. In that time the subject I get asked to speak on the most is the empowerment of people with disabilities.  The two main principles I have come up with regarding empowerment are to treat each person as an individual  and take a holistic view of a person's life because in my experience it is only by doing those two things that you can truly empower a person with a disability.  In order to make these two principles a reality you have to take a person centred approach to support delivery. It starts from the CEO at the top and the great front line soldiers that are each individual support worker.  It is important to recognise that no two people with a disability have the same life and needs.  The support worker should help create an environment where the client and support worker work together and people are given the space and opportunity for choice and control in their own life.  It is important to

Shift the Dial

 Every January I start the year with motivation to achieve what I want to achieve. I have half a dozen or so books I reread every January.  In 2024 my motivational mantra is shift the dial . Shift the dial towards success. Shift the dial for leadership. Shift the dial for artistic output. Shift the dial for spiritual growth.  All of us above the age of 40 remember having to tune the radio or tv into a station. That is why I am using the image of a dial to motivate myself this year.  I get to choose where I place the dial for any given goal. I know I can turn the dial up to 10 for my acting, keep it nice and central for my spiritual growth, and shift it as needed when I need to take the lead.  To help me calibrate my new dial, I have been using Ryan Holiday's books The Obstacle is the Way , Ego is the Enemy , and Stillness is the Key .  To overcome obstacles takes perception, action, and will; so you can understand when an obstacle is an obstacle.  In our modern world it is hard to