Andi Snelling is an Australian performer, writer and theatre maker with a career that’s taken her all over the world. 

This year she’s the only interstate act coming to Queensland for the Undercover Artist Festival, so we caught up with her for a chat about her solo show Happy Go Wrong.

Useful links

Download the transcript for this episode: https://carersqld.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Choice-and-Control-3-bonus-Happy-Go-Wrong-transcript.docx 

The Undercover Artist Festival: https://undercoverartistfest.com/ 

Andi Snelling's website: http://www.andisnelling.com/

Carers Queensland upcoming events and workshops: www.carersqld.com.au/events 

Carers Queensland NDIS on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarersQueenslandNDIS

Music, theatre, cabaret... there's nothing like a night out with some live entertainment.  If you're in Brisbane, the Undercover Artists Festival from September 16 to 18 is a fantastic opportunity. Not only is it fully accessible, with Auslan interpretations and audio descriptions, but every act features people with disability, and the whole festival is disability-led. 

To find out what's coming up and what that means, in this episode we're talking to festival director Madeleine Little.

Useful links

Download the transcript for this episode: https://carersqld.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Choice-and-Control-3-5-Undercover-Artist-Festival-transcript.docx 

The Undercover Artist Festival: https://undercoverartistfest.com/ 

Carers Queensland upcoming events and workshops: www.carersqld.com.au/events 

Carers Queensland NDIS on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarersQueenslandNDIS

Oliver Hetherington-Page hates the Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper - even though, as a young man on the autism spectrum, at first glance you might think they have a fair bit in common. 

But Oliver's passions and talents like in music and theatre, not science and maths.  He's disappointed that Sheldon, a character not developed by people with autism or explicitly stated to be on the spectrum, has become the face of autism in popular culture - and he's out to fix that.

The Brisbane performer has channelled his lived experience with autism, relationships and dating into a one-man cabaret show, The No Bang Theory, and it's coming to the Undercover Artist Festival and the Wynnum Fringe. 

Useful links

Download the transcript for this episode: https://carersqld.com.au/wp-content/uploads/3-5-Oliver-Heatherington-Page-The-No-Bang-Theory-transcript.docx

The No Bang Theory at the Undercover Artist Festival, Sept 16: http://undercoverartistfest.com/festival-2021/the-no-bang-theory/ 

The No Bang Theory at the Wynnum Fringe, Nov 21: https://www.wynnumfringe.com/events/?EventGroupID=47&EventID=47 

The Undercover Artist Festival: https://undercoverartistfest.com/ 

Carers Queensland upcoming events and workshops: www.carersqld.com.au/events 

Carers Queensland NDIS on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarersQueenslandNDIS

Carers Queensland, NDIS Local Area Coordination Partner in the Community, is working alongside the National Disability Insurance Agency to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people involved with the Murri Court, and connect them with the NDIS.

Carers Queensland has supported nine participants to access the NDIS - and more than 18 months since the process began, not a single one has re-offended.

Magistrate Tina Previtera says it's a great result, since statistically 76 per cent of adult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders who serve terms of imprisonment will re-offend within two years of their release from custody.

Marshall was the first person from Murri Court who Carers Queensland supported to access the NDIS, and he says he'd be lost without it.  He has acquired brain injury, and uses his NDIS plan for support with daily living and transport, as well as attending regular Yarning Circles to catch up with other men who've been through similar circumstances.

Uncle Steve Watson is a Mununjali, Wanggeriburra, Birri Gubba and Gangalu man who sits on the Murri Court as a Respected Person, acting as a communication conduit between his people fronting Murri Court and the magistrate.

In the two and a half years he has been with the Murri Court, Steve says he realised some people presenting before the court have disability which has gone unnoticed and undiagnosed.

“Since the NDIS have been involved with Carers Queensland, it's really captured a lot of our people who need that extra support to help them with the basic things in life,” Uncle Steve said.

Useful links

Download the transcript for this episode: https://carersqld.com.au/wp-content/uploads/3-4-Murri-Court-transcript.docx 

Bridging the gap: how the Murri Court is working with Carers Queensland to support people to access the NDIS: https://carersqld.com.au/bridging-the-gap-how-the-murri-court-is-working-with-carers-queensland-to-support-people-to-access-the-ndis/  

Carers Queensland upcoming events and workshops: www.carersqld.com.au/events 

Carers Queensland NDIS on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarersQueenslandNDIS

Daniel Clarke and his brother William are Queensland's Young Australians of the Year for 2021.

They're passionate about protecting Borneo’s endangered orangutans: they've raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for conservation and habitat protection, and have spoken to thousands of school children to raise awareness.

24-year-old Daniel has cerebral palsy, and uses support from the NDIS in his busy life of sport, conservation work, volunteering and planning for his future career.

Daniel finished his Bachelor of Social Science majoring in politics last year, and plans to channel his passion for the environment into government policy work.

Useful links

Download the transcript for this episode: https://carersqld.com.au/wp-content/uploads/3-2-Daniel-Clarke.docx 

Tears in the Jungle: Daniel and William’s website about their conservation work: https://tearsinthejungle.com/ 

Queensland Wheelchair Rugby: https://www.facebook.com/QLDRugby/ 

ASEAN-Australia Strategic Youth Partnership: https://aasyp.org/ 

Carers Queensland upcoming events and workshops: www.carersqld.com.au/events 

Carers Queensland NDIS on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarersQueenslandNDIS

Max Elliot has quite a history with the Brothers Rugby Club in Albion. He's now working in their Ruggers Restaurant on a school-based traineeship, but his relationship with the club goes back to when he was 11.  That's when his parents started building what would become the GingerCloud Foundation. 

Their Modified Rugby Program is making sport accessible for kids of all abilities, and building skills for life like teamwork, social skills, and rising to a challenge.

Max has autism and uses NDIS support to build his skills and independence as he gets ready for life after school. Today we're talking to his mother Megan about GingerCloud, cooking, the Modified Rugby Program, and how creating Max's best possible future has meant building a whole community ready to step up and include people with disability.

Useful links

Download the transcript for this episode: https://carersqld.com.au/wp-content/uploads/3-2-GingerCloud-from-sports-field-to-success-transcript.docx

GingerCloud Foundation: http://gingercloud.org/

Modified Rugby Program (MRP) on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/modifiedrugbyprogramMRP/

Carers Queensland upcoming events and workshops: www.carersqld.com.au/events

Carers Queensland NDIS on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarersQueenslandNDIS

Today we're talking to two young men with autism who are making a name for themselves in digital spaces. 

Indie game developer Bradley Hennessey is the creator of Aspergers-themed computer game An Aspie Life. Brad’s studying game design and interactive environments at QUT. He started his own company, EnderLost Studios, and he's working on a prequel to An Aspie Life based on his experiences when he was younger.  

And Gold Coast YouTuber Joe Smith is rubbing shoulders with celebrities, athletes, and people from all walks of life through his own online chat show, Top Guest Studio With Joe.  He's planning to leverage his online content into a job in the media or entertainment.

Useful links

Download the transcript for this episode: https://carersqld.com.au/wp-content/uploads/3-1-The-Future-Is-Online-transcript.docx

Enderlost Studios: www.enderloststudios.com

Top Guest Studio with Joe: www.youtube.com/channel/UCnGOvHiiD78lqHFJeIhlFCg

Carers Queensland upcoming events and workshops: www.carersqld.com.au/events

Carers Queensland NDIS on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarersQueenslandNDIS

Choice and Control is back soon with season three!  Join us for new journeys with Queenslanders with disability creating wonderful things: from art and podcasts to buliding communities and turning lives around, we're celebrating achievements with a whole new batch of amazing stories.

In this episode we meet Martin Broad, a motivational speaker from Springsure using his life experiences to educate youth about the dangers of risky behaviour, alcohol, and brain injury.

After a night out on the town to celebrate a new job, Martin realised he'd locked himself out of his apartment.  He tried to climb up the side of the building to get to the open door on his balcony - and fell seven storeys to the ground, sustaining severe injuries including acquired brain injury.

These days Martin owns his own home, has his drivers licence back, and is building his career as a speaker sharing his experience and insights.  His business shares the initials "ABI" with his disability - but in this case, it stands for Actually Bloody Incredible.

If you have a story you think we should feature on Choice and Control, please contact our enquiries line on 1300 999 636, or email [email protected].

Useful links

Download the transcript for this episode: https://carersqld.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Choice-and-Control-2.8-Martin-Broad-transcript.pdf

Brain Injury Australia: https://www.braininjuryaustralia.org.au/

Choice and Control on the Carers Qld website: https://carersqld.com.au/choice-and-control-podcast/

In this episode we meet Rebecca Johnson, a young artist and musician from Rockhampton living with bipolar disorder and chronic illness.

Rebecca's finishing 2020 strong, with artistic achievements, some answers about her health, and even the beginning of a new family business.

Rebecca has a piece included in Carers Queensland's This Is Me art exhibition, which is on show at the Banana Shire Regional Art Gallery in Biloela until early March.

She's also had an artwork selected for the front cover of Art from the Margin's 2021 calendar, a piece about her relationship with her Mum called Hold Me Mother Before I Disappear.

Along with her mother, Rebecca has started Tutti Fruitti Handmade, and they've just had their first market stall outing selling their cute handmade goodies.

It took years for Rebecca to get a definitive diagnosis, and she says she's still learning what disability means for her and un-learning a lot of internalised ableism - negative ideas about disability we might have picked up unconsciously, even if we have disability ourselves.

If you have a story you think we should feature on Choice and Control, please contact our enquiries line on 1300 999 636, or email [email protected].

Useful links

Download the transcript for this episode: https://carersqld.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Choice-and-Control-2.7-Rebecca-Johnson-transcript.pdf

Art from the Margin's 2021 calendar: https://www.wmq.org.au/communities/art-from-the-margins/aftm-news/2021-Calendar-available-now

Tutti Fruitti Handmade's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Tutti-Fruitti-Handmade-111604017405009

Choice and Control on the Carers Qld website: https://carersqld.com.au/choice-and-control-podcast/