Invis-Ability

Season two of Invis-ability is an exploration into the world of education, and specifically how the ID community is treated within this subset of society.

On episode five, our hosts Phil and Don are joined by Nas Campenella.

Nas Campanella is the ABC's disability affairs reporter. Nas started her career at the ABC as a cadet journalist in Sydney in 2011 before working as a regional reporter in Bega on the New South Wales far south coast. She then spent seven years working as a newsreader, reporter and senior producer for triple j and other ABC platforms. Nas has also undertaken projects with ABC International Development, running initiatives for people living with disability across the Pacific.

Show Timings:

Nas' reflections on growing up without vision (2:10)

Nas' reflections on refusing invasive treatments (6:17)

Nas' lived experience in both the mainstream and special needs education systems (8:52)

"You can't be what you can't see" - The role of media (and in particular journalism) in telling authentic stories of disability (14:31)

Season two of Invis-ability is an exploration into the world of education, and specifically how the ID community is treated within this subset of society.

On episode four, our hosts Phil and Don are joined by Julie Fisher. After her third son, Darcy, was born with Down Syndrome, Julie wrote a book to help educate others. The Unexpected Journey, released in 2019, shares in raw detail the journey of Julie's family, including the choices she had to make around education. Her second book, The Magic of Inclusion, is currently in production.

Season two of Invis-ability is an exploration into the world of education, and specifically how the ID community is treated within this subset of society.

On episode three, our hosts Phil and Don are joined by Martha Haythorn and her father, Trace. The Haythorns are family friends of the Hayes-Browns. As a young woman with Down Syndrome, Martha shares many experiences with Phil's daughter, Phoebe. But, because Martha and Trace live in the US, they've had to navigate a different education system.

Together, Martha and Trace reflect on her school and college life, her advocacy work, summer camps, and the future challenges for the disability community.

Show Timings:

Phil and Trace's Origin Story (1:34)

Trace's reflections on becoming a father of a person with a disability (3:25)

Martha's reflections on the time when she first realised she was different (7:18)

Trace and Martha's approach to school selection (10:26)

Exploring the current options for schooling in Australia (12:06)

Martha's recollection of her school days (14:57)

Martha's discusses moving out of home on onto College campus (17:00)

Martha's journey into the disability advocacy space (17:45)

Exploring 'Affinity Group' Summer Camps and the benefits of 'gradual inclusion' (24:06)

Exploring the state of Inclusion and Specialist Segregation in America and Australia (30:55)

Exploring how disability advocacy can sometimes be campaigning for difference, not just inclusion (33:48)

Martha's role as an advocate ambassador (36:35)

The challenges facing disability advocates in the future (39:50)

Season two of 'Invis-ability' is an exploration into the world of education, and specifically how the ID community is treated within this subset of society.

On episode two, our host Wallara CEO Phil Hayes-Brown and Wallara Online Lead Coach Don Elgin are joined by Professor Umesh Sharma, the Associate Dean (Equity and Inclusion) at Monash University.

EPISODE TOPICS AND TIMINGS:

(0:34) - Season 1 recap

(1:03) - Season 2 preview

(2:02) - Umesh and Wallara's origin story and Umesh's role as Associate Dean of Equity & Inclusion at Monash University

(3:36) - Umesh's 'lived experience' with regards to equity & inclusion

(7:34) - The current educational options for children with special needs

(10:05) - What is educational inclusion? Is it an absence of boundaries, an increase in choice, or a blend of the two?

(14:29) - Is progress in the inclusion and equity space a goal or a journey?

(16:55) - "Everyone is different" - How much effect does perception have on teaching standards?

(20:20) - What are the boundaries to equity and inclusion in education?

(21:38) - How do pre-existing structures limit progressive thinking when it comes to equitable and inclusive learning?

(23:56) - Does having an intellectual disability prevent you from getting a tertiary education?

(27:52) - Do labels help or hinder the equitable and inclusive education movement?

(29:27) - What inclusion and equity practices have Monash University instilled at their campuses?

EPISODE TWO GUEST:

Professor Umesh Sharma is the Associate Dean (Equity and Inclusion) at Monash University, and a Professor in the Faculty of Education. He is also the Academic Head of the Educational Psychology and Inclusive Education Community. His research covers diverse topics, including how education for students with disability is funded by the Commonwealth.

He is the chief co-editor of the Australasian Journal of Special Education and the Oxford Encyclopedia of Inclusive and Special Education. Umesh was recently named as Australia's Research Field Leader in Special Education.

Season two of 'Invis-ability' is an exploration into the world of education, and specifically how the ID community is treated within this subset of society.

On episode one, our host Wallara CEO Phil Hayes-Brown and Wallara Online Lead Coach Don Elgin are joined by Tanya Plibersek, the Shadow Minister for Education, to discuss Australia's philosophy on inclusion, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and more broadly, education for people with intellectual disabilities.

TOPICS ON THIS EPISODE:

•How Australia's migrant history is a strong example of inclusion's power and productivity

•Why Tanya lobbies for a more equitable education system.

•The progression of the NDIS, and what the future holds for the scheme

•Balancing the desire for school choice with equitable educational environments

•The role that online learning has in equitable education's future

EPISODE ONE'S GUEST:

Tanya Plibersek MP is the current Shadow Minister for Education and Training, and has been the sitting member for the electorate of Sydney since 1998. Tanya was also the Minister of Social Inclusion in Julia Gillard's first ministry.

Hello and welcome to Invis-ability, coming to you live on International Day of People with Disability!

A few months back, Phil Hayes-Brown, the CEO of Wallara, a disability support provider in Victoria and Don Elgin, a former Paralympian

and the Head of Wallara Online, started working on this podcast: Invis-ability.

The podcast explores the experience of intellectual disability.

There's a statistic we use a lot to explain the idea behind the show. It

bears repeating, because it never fails to surprise. The ID community accounts for roughly 30% of NDIS recipients. But the stories from that 30% are usually unheard when we discuss disability.

We started Invis-ability so that people with lived experience of ID would have the opportunity to share their stories, like your guests will do LIVE today.

EPISODE FIVE'S GUESTS:

Jeff Kennett was Premier of Victoria from 1992 until 1999. He is currently the President of the Hawthorn Football Club and was the founding Chairman of Beyond Blue.

Stacey Edwards is a Wallara client and a young woman living with Down Syndrome - a major genetic condition which causes ID.

Co-host Don Elgin competed alongside ID athletes at the Sydney Paralympics. But after those games, ID events were excluded until 2012. The reason? Spain's ID basketball team blatantly cheated their way to gold by fielding ineligible athletes. It ultimately led to that long hiatus for ID athletes from the Paralympic Games.

Don and Phil recall that story and the controversy that followed. Then, they're joined by Peter Willoughby, who played ID basketball for Australia at the 2000 Paralympics.

Peter talks about his own experience in ID sport, in particular, what transpired in Sydney. He delves into how he felt about Spain's cheating, how the events hurt the inclusion of the ID community, and how they affected his life and career.

To round out the episode, Robyn Smith joins the show. She was a Paralympic team leader in Sydney and is now the CEO of Sport Inclusion Australia.

Robyn talks through her memories from Sydney, her work in inclusive sport, and the broader battle for inclusion in a space Australians like to believe is more inclusive than most.

Tracey Corbin-Matchett has a daughter with an acquired brain injury and is also the CEO of Bus Stop Films, which provides film studies course for students with ID.

She joins Phil and Don to discuss representations of disability on screen, how adequate they are when it comes to including the ID community, and what storytellers can do to broaden public perspectives on ID.

Phil and Don then ask Tracey about her own experiences. She discusses her life with a hearing impairment, caring for her daughter, and working at Bus Stop Films with the ID community.

Phil and Don are joined by Colin Hiscoe, a powerful advocate who lives with a mild ID, for an emotional episode about the struggle the ID community has faced to be included and accepted.

Colin was a founding member of Reinforce, a Melbourne-based ID advocacy group. He talks at length about his own lived experience, including the discrimination he has faced in his life.

Colin discusses how that affected him and the people close to him, and what has changed in the inclusion space in recent years.

To finish, the trio discusses whether institutions designed to support the ID community, like group homes, special schools and supported employment, are a help or a hindrance.

In our opening episode, Phil and Don set the agenda for Invis-Ability, laying out what they want to cover and discover.

Don recounts his own lived experience as an amputee. Then, he discusses what he knows about the ID community, mostly from his experiences as a teammate of ID athletes at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics.

Our hosts pause to consider the language we use in the disability space, before Phil talks about his lived experiences with his daughter, Phoebe, who has an ID. He shares what that has meant for Phoebe, and the journey they've been on together.

Phil and Don work through perceptions and misconceptions about intellectual disability, before finishing with a discussion about representation and visibility.