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Biomedical engineering students at RMIT were put to the test this year constructing innovative solutions to the barriers faced by people with disability.  The Bachelor of Engineering students took part in a collaborative project to create new adaptive technologies, teaming up with Freedom Solutions, a not-for-profit engineering organisation.  Lochlann Sacco was one of the students… Read more: Student engineers solve diving problem with fin project

A Flinders University-backed program to increase employment of people with disability in hospitality arrived in Victoria this year with positive results.  It focuses on giving employers the confidence to hire people with cognitive disability, including intellectual disability, autism, ADHD and mental disability.  As well as making jobs in the sector more inclusive, Dr Jung Voon,… Read more: Hospitality hiring program on a roll

It was raining last weekend when Graham Lewis crossed the finish line of Adelaide’s 2025 City to Bay.  He told Link he was pleased to finish despite the rain, and to see the team around him: the team from Enable Fitness Centre.  “Both staff and clients did it and it was just nice to be… Read more: ‘Part of something bigger’: City to Bay with Enable’s Graham 

NDIS Minister Jenny McAllister told this year’s National Disability Summit in Melbourne that the NDIS is at an “important moment” in its second decade of existence.  After recounting the Labor Party’s history and involvement with the NDIS, the minister looked to the future of the scheme, which is currently undergoing a number of reforms.  “It’s… Read more: The “important moment” for the NDIS

In the spirit of inclusivity and connection, nothing speaks louder than the power of music. Few know this better than Mattie Michael, Geoffrey Thorsen and Ari Palti of The CandleSnakes, an all-abilities band that shows how music can bring people together.  The trio is passionate about hosting events that light up the stage with energy,… Read more: The CandleSnakes rock inclusion, one beat at a time

Queenslanders with disability are largely feeling happy and supported, but continue to face barriers in work, education and accessibility, according to the 2025 Voice of Queenslanders with Disability Report.  This year’s survey heard from 703 people from across Queensland. The report says the number of people with disability involved is growing each year, showing the… Read more: A snapshot of life: Voice of Queenslanders with Disability Report 2025

There has been “sustained achievement” in several areas across the NDIS, according to the scheme’s latest quarterly report.  The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) says there have been increases in community participation, educational achievements, employment and daily living, among other things.  The report covers the performance of the scheme from April to June this year,… Read more: ‘Sustained achievement’: latest NDIS quarterly report

The Federal government wants to remove children with so-called ‘mild to moderate’ developmental delay and autism from the NDIS. In a speech to the National Press Club on Wednesday, Federal Minister for Disability and the NDIS Mark Butler announced the introduction of new supports for autistic children, called Thriving Kids. Thriving Kids is a proposed… Read more: New scheme to remove autism from NDIS – but will it be all it promises?

Dr Alex Harrison doesn’t want the next generation of vets to face discrimination for their differences. As the first profoundly deaf veterinarian to join Australia’s vet sector, he’s been through his fair share of microaggressions around his disability.   But it has served to motivate him to do something to change the profession he loves, and… Read more: Creating visibility for vets with disability

The lens of integrated policy design has led to a new way of supporting women with disability who are escaping violence.  Dr Alicia Yon, education fellow at the University of Melbourne School of Design, undertook her PhD in urban planning and combined her experience as an educator and an urban planner/policy analyst to come up… Read more: An intersectional lens on DV policy

Photo: Zoe Darling and Ross Gray 

A year ago, the Federal government released its response to the 222 recommendations in the Disability Royal Commission’s final report.  Now, it is looking to reform the Disability Discrimination Act – a key plank of the government’s response.  Late last week the Federal government announced a $6.9 million review of the Act which will consider… Read more: Government opens review to Disability Discrimination Act 

Being disabled can often be an isolating experience, but a series of community groups springing up around New South Wales is changing that.  Called local Community Networks, the groups promote connection and advocacy among those living with spinal cord injury and neurological conditions.  They’re backed by Spinal Cord Injuries Australia (SCIA), which tasked members of… Read more: Networks meld community connection with action

Have you heard of services-for-one?  A service-for-one is a way of setting up disability support. In a service-for-one scenario, a person or their family employ staff directly to support them using their NDIS funding.  It was pioneered by Inclusion Australia and designed to meet the needs of families and individuals concerned about how the rollout… Read more: Greater support from Service-For-One 

Professor John Gilroy is the first Aboriginal person with disability to lead Indigenous disability research at a scholarly level and create Indigenous research methodologies in disability research.  And nothing fires him up more than the negative label attached to the word ‘disability’ that he said needs to be re-worded to something more positive. “It immediately… Read more: Why the NDIS is failing the Indigenous community

When Taye Williams stood up at the recent People with Disabilities Western Australia (PWdWA) State Conference, his presentation was deeply informed by lived experience of multiple marginalisations.  Williams lives with a disability and is also an Anangu/Nyungar man, and for a time he struggled to find work.  But in 2023 the 24-year-old founded Taask, helping… Read more: Creating your own meaningful employment

It seems not a week goes by that we aren’t peppered with headlines reminding us of just how expensive the NDIS is for the nation.  The latest reminder arrived last week in the form of a new report from the respected Grattan Institute, an independent policy think-tank.  Titled ‘Saving the NDIS: How to rebalance disability… Read more: Key takeaways from the Grattan’s report

A quest to find an accessible fish and chip shop has led to the creation of a life-changing app for foodies with disability.  Called EnAccess Maps, the app is taking Melbourne venues by storm, providing accurate information on everything from bathrooms to entrances for those who need it.  It was founded by Sabrina Leung, a… Read more: Foodies rejoice – EnAccess Maps reveals restaurant accessibility 

In 2014, while hiking overseas, Andi Snelling was bitten by a tick.  That single moment changed the trajectory of her life, as she developed multiple tick-borne illnesses including Lyme disease.  “The way my body functioned and operated started to really change. It was sort of gradual at first, but then… there was a distinctive point… Read more: Happy Go Wrong lightens the heavy conversation around chronic illness 

This year’s NDIS Annual Pricing Review has angered many in the disability community and sparked another crisis for the beleaguered scheme.  The review was released this week, with the NDIS making a number of recommendations on pricing across the scheme.  Some of the more controversial changes are around reducing price limits for therapy services, ostensibly… Read more: Concern about NDIS therapy pricing changes