‘No one’s the freak’: How Adam Hills fell in love with para-standing tennis
When comedian Adam Hills, who was born without a right foot, was a child, doctors advised his parents, Bob and Judy, not to rush to his aid when he fell over.
Resources
After more than a decade of the NDIS, has anything changed about the way we value disabled lives?
After a mighty amount of work from disabled people and their families, supporters and allies, the NDIS came into being more than a decade ago. But has the exclusion and isolation of people like me actually been addressed?
I’m a performer who lives with autism. It doesn’t make me ‘inspirational’
I’m Aaron Ducker, an autistic magician. Let me tell you about something that happened a couple of years ago. I walked out onto the stage just as I would any other night. This night was different though. Nestled amongst the crowd was a reviewer. I steeled my nerves.
VIDEO: People with disability embrace identity as an ‘antidote to ableism’
Lawyer Giancarlo De Vera says International Day for People with Disabilities is a day for people with disability to ‘celebrate our humanity’.
Learn more about ableism and what it looks like with our quiz on disability discrimination
It’s one of society’s biggest “isms”. But according to disability advocates, ableism is still all-too-common and often remains unchallenged.
Tipping misconceptions about disability on its head has become the ethos for my comedy
I stumbled into comedy in 2019. I enrolled in a six-week workshop in Byron Bay, to challenge myself creatively. In the first week, the teacher asked why we were there. I said: “I’m disabled, and I have stuff to say.”
How people with cerebral palsy confront and cope with ableism: a peer led research project
Closing date: January 1, 2024
Ableism can occur with strangers or people you know, such as family and friends. We are a group of researchers with and without cerebral palsy. We wish to find out about how adults (18 years or older) with cerebral palsy successfully confront ableism. Some people with cerebral palsy find ways of successfully dealing with ableism. … Continued
These women say dating with a disability is tough, but they’re hoping to change stereotypes
Dating can be a challenging and overwhelming experience for anyone, but if you’ve got a disability, the barriers can be much higher. Just ask Jerusha Mather. The biomedical student with cerebral palsy said she found dating especially difficult because of negative attitudes and stereotypes
Here’s how I feel about Disability Pride Month as an adaptive model
When it comes to personal disability pride, my feelings are mixed. While I have immense pride in who I am, I also find it hard to celebrate or feel accepted purely because of my disability. I have been an amputee now for 4 years, acquiring my disability as a result of a rare, aggressive bone cancer (osteo sarcoma) in my ankle.
We need psychologists with disability working in mental health
There’s a lot of pressure on disability advocates to be mentally strong all the time. As a content creator, there’s this self-inflicted pressure to be happy. I took on the responsibility as the person who was going to cheer other people up and also raise awareness at the time, to challenge this misconception that if you have a disability, you’re constantly miserable. And because of this idea that people with disability are always miserable, their mental health needs get dismissed, the assumption being it’s normal for a disabled person to be depressed.
Practising disability pride
Larissa MacFarlane acquired a brain injury 24 years ago which she said allowed her to become the artist she is today. The month of July is Disability Pride Month which is of great significance for MacFarlane and her work to change stigma around disability.
Failed Ambitions: Kew Cottages and changing ideas of intellectual disabilities
This meticulously researched book uses archival records to explore the history of Kew Cottages through the trajectory of ideas behind development of disability policy, both nationally and internationally, and the treatment of people with intellectual disabilities in institutional care, covering the evolution of disability within our society. Everyone with an interest in the history of disability rights in Victoria should read this book which explores the way policies and services have evolved as our understanding of intellectual disability improves.
Social Model of Disability Video Series
This video series explores the importance of the social model of disability framework when responding to disability issues in culturally and linguistically diverse communities.. The videos highlight the experiences of six people with disability and what the social model of disability means to them. The videos are available in multiple languages and with English subtitles.
Opinion piece
For quite a while now, I’ve been wanting to speak out about my experience, as an 18-year-old living with a disability, and the challenges that I have had to face, as I navigate an ableist world. It is deeply frustrating that I have had to come to this point, but I want to let everyone know that I am ok and I am not writing this to ask for pity. I still get to live an amazing life despite this. I am writing this to help people better understand what I have to go through on a daily basis and in turn, help to improve my life and the lives of others.
‘It’s vital we teach the next generation about disability history’
‘It’s vital we teach the next generation about disability history’
Disability rights should be part of the curriculum so that all children learn about it and all disabled people can see themselves represented.