Cerebral Conversations

Welcome to the wrap up episode of Season One of Cerebral Conversations. Here are some highlights and never heard before stories from the great minds at Cerebral Palsy Alliance (CPA) and our special guests and hosts.

And as you have heard throughout the series from the likes of Hannah Diviney, Bronya Metherell and Tara Moss, just how important storytelling is. We'd like you to share your story with us in Season Two, so if you have an idea you'd love us to tackle, send an email to ask@ cerebral palsy. org.au, or join the CPA  Facebook Community Group and tell us there.

We'd love to hear from you. And in the meantime, please stay subscribed if you haven't done so already, tell your friends about Cerebral Conversations and  you can keep the conversation going between seasons by leaving us a rating or review on your favourite podcast platform. 

A cerebral (palsy) conversation with master juggler, Marley Lyras-Hull. Marley works full time at CPA and is currently studying for her fourth (yep, fourth) degree.

She’s raising three daughters, one of whom lives with a disability, and Marley herself lives with cerebral palsy. When there really are only 24 hours in a day, how does she get it all done?

Marley fills us in on how she juggles ALL the things, what inspires her, and her tips for other parents living with a disability or parenting a child with disability.

From gamification to AI, speech recognition to virtual reality, technology is making an extraordinary contribution to the lives of those living with disability – and there’s some pretty amazing stuff in store for the future too.

Power up with Alistair McEwan and Rae Johnston as they explore how technology, data and innovation are changing lives and improving outcomes, and the questions these cuttingedge creations are raising along the way. How do we best navigate the ethics of AI and make the most of its potential? Could a virtual baby give us new insight and a window to the future? And might soft exoskeletons (think Big Hero 6) become a tool in early intervention?

Professor Alistair McEwan is the Ainsworth Chair of Technology and Innovation at CPA. His research looks at how emerging technology – from bionics and robotics to AI – can contribute to better treatments, interventions and solutions for people living with cerebral palsy and similar conditions. Learn about Alistair’s work cerebralpalsy.org.au/our-research/

A multi-award-winning STEM journalist, broadcaster and proud Wiradjuri woman, Rae Johnston has worked in television, radio, podcasting and digital publishing. She was the first Science and Technology Editor for SBS’s NITV and is the producer and host of top-rated podcasts Queens of the Drone Age and Hear+Beyond.

You’ve got THE big idea. Now what? Join entrepreneurs Pete Horsley and Naomi Simson for an idea-sparking conversation about the importance of invention and bringing great ideas to life. Are we investing enough and willing enoughto try, fail and then have another go? How can you become a great innovator and how did a solar power wheelchair come to be?

Pete Horsley is the founder of Remarkable, an organisation that’s harnessing the power of technology to drive inclusion for people living with disabilities. Pete and his team accelerate disability tech start ups and help founders and ideators fuel their vision, develop tech, gain seed funding and build their businesses. Check out Pete’s work at remarkable.org.au

Naomi Simson is an entrepreneur, blogger, business leader and the founder of Red Balloon. Building businesses, working with teams and solving problems are all key to Naomi’s work, the heart of which is bringing people together and shifting the way we experience life. Learn more at naomisimson.com

A cerebral (palsy) conversation with Lia Sintras, Cerebral Palsy Alliance (CPA) client and Kosciuszko conqueror.

Lia has lived with cerebral palsy since she was just a year old, which hasn’t stopped her for a moment. From climbing Mount Kosciusko to walking into her end of school formal (after over 500 hours of training no less), Lia knows better than most that – as she puts it – “Nothing is impossible. You just need to find people that make it possible.”

Lia takes us through the challenges and highlights of her school years, the importance of finding champions to back you, and what she’s working on to advocate inclusion for everybody who lives with a disability.

Cerebral Conversations is proudly created by the team at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance to tackle the big issues around disability and find out what happens when great minds think differently. Find out more at cerebralpalsy.org.au/cerebralconversations

We can all be agents for change, but we need to find our voices first and the courage to speak up.

In this episode, Bronya and Tara speak up about creating communities that empower those living with disability. How can we challenge governments to enact change that creates truly inclusive societies? What does advocacy really mean, and when does it really work? How can we help people find their voice and see the power in their personal storytelling? And how on earth can we get people to care about a cause that doesn’t personally affect them?

Bronya Metherall is General Manager of Global Influence & Social Impact at Cerebral Palsy Alliance. She leads CPA’s global advocacy campaigns, including World CP Day and Window of Opportunity, our campaign to introduce universal early childhood screening for cerebral palsy. Through advocacy, government relations, policy reform, innovation and capacity-building, she’s helping us affect social and economic change to create more inclusive communities. Learn more about Bronya’s work at cpactive.org.au

Tara Moss is an author, former model and ambulatory wheelchair user living with
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. Tara uses her public profile to help de-stigmatize disability, chronic illness and chronic pain. In 2020, she accepted the honorary role of Pain Champion with Pain Australia.

Check out Tara's books and blog at taramoss.com and follow her two wonderful Instagram accounts: @Taraandwolfie and @taramossauthor

Cerebral Conversations is proudly created by the team at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance to tackle the big issues around disability and find out what happens when great minds think differently. Find out more at cerebralpalsy.org.au/cerebralconversations

A cerebral (palsy) conversation with filmmaker, actor, advocate and CPA client, Emily Dash.

From screening her films at Tropfest and the Sydney Film Festival to collaborating with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Emily has achieved more than most of us do in a lifetime. And – with the help of a great support crew and some savvy problem solving – she’s done it all in spite of the barriers to employment that many people living with a disability face. Emily tells us about her amazing career, her inspirations and advice for other young writers, and gives us the low down on what it’s like to get a call from Margot Robbie out of the blue. 

Follow Emily on Twitter @EmilyDash2 and Facebook at Emily Dash Artist Advocate

Check out Emily's work:
Groundhog Night short film trailer
I Am Not A Work Of Art short film
The Cards I'm Dealt short film 
Connect
Reimagining the Village
ACO Move 

Cerebral Conversations is proudly created by the team at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance to tackle the big issues around disability and find out what happens when we redefine ‘impossible.’ Find out more at cerebralpalsy.org.au/convos

Australia is recognised as one of the most inclusive nations in the world, but really, is it?

Disability advocate Hannah Diviney joins Tara Moss to dig into the details of what it’s like to live with a disability and tackle stereotypes, mental health issues, and barriers to work and education. How do Hannah and Tara overcome the stigmas around disability and women? What does living with a disability mean for our sense of identity? And really, why isn’t there a disabled Disney princess? (Hannah’s working on that.)

Hannah Diviney is a writer, founder of the Krazy Kosci Klimb, supporter of CPActive (a new initiative campaigning for change) and Co-Editor in Chief and Creative Lead at Missing Perspectives. For Hannah, visibility is so important. As she says, “visibility of disabled people in relationships, or disabled people being parents: that sort of visibility is very helpful for me in combating against my insecurities around whether I can have that, whether that's in the future for me..” 

Check out Hannah's work at Missing Perspectives, sign her Disabled Disney Princess petition, and follow her on Twitter @hannah_diviney and Instagram @hannahthewildflower  

Tara Moss is an author, former model and ambulatory wheelchair user living with
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. Tara uses her public profile to help de-stigmatize disability, chronic illness and chronic pain. In 2020, she accepted the honorary role of Pain Champion with Pain Australia.

Check out Tara's books and blog at taramoss.com and follow her two wonderful Instagram accounts: @Taraandwolfie and @taramossauthor

Cerebral Conversations is proudly created by the team at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance to tackle the big issues around disability and find out what happens when great minds think differently. Find out more at cerebralpalsy.org.au/cerebralconversations

A cerebral (palsy) conversation with Invictus Games competitor and CPA client, Arran Keith, and his physiotherapist Claire Smart.

Therapy that maximises neuroplasticity is the best way to improve movement and mobility, but the challenge is how to keep a young mind motivated. The good news? Therapy can now be a whole lot more fun than just relying on repetitive exercises. 

Claire and Arran (also an avid RaceRunner and triathlete), chat with us about technology, wheelchair races and all the other creative ideas and tools they use to help Arran smash his goals to smithereens (not least of which is competing at the 2024 Paralympics – watch this space!). And then there's Arran's plan to be Prime Minister one day...

Neuroplasticity is the secret ingredient for better brain power – and better outcomes for children with disability. In this episode Professor Iona Novak, CPA’s Chair of Allied Health, co-founder of the CPA Research Institute and renowned journalist, author and broadcaster Tracey Spicer go deep into our grey (and white) matter to explore the brain’s ability to create new neural pathways and what that means for a child’s critical early years of neurological development. How can we rewire our brains by learning new skills? Why are some pathways a bit overgrown and others rather well-trodden? Can teenagers and adults harness neuroplasticity, and how is it relevant for people without disability?