“And I do understand why it is an issue in the disability community. I shouldn't be speaking for people with disability. I need to speak for my son because he's non speaking and I am his advocate, but I I quickly learned the tension that exists here and I'm now a lot more respectful of it”

What does it mean to be a voice for someone with disability?

Due to Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy, seven year old Arlo is nonverbal. Mum Melanie talks to how Arlo communicates with AAC, which makes him the most popular kid in school. 

As a journalist herself, she discusses the boundaries that are put in place to support disabled voices in the media without devaluing those who have lived experience.

Listen to Mel’s story as she discovers how her "worst nightmare" of having a disabled child, turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to her.

PLUS Dylan and Angus say Thank You for the year and share their goals for 2024!

Watch this episode with captions in 4K here:

https://youtu.be/hx2iUXwvFgM

Want to know more about Mel? Check out the links below:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melanie.dimmitt/
NDIS Know-how Podcast: https://hireup.com.au/ndis-know-how/

Join the 10,000+ legends on Instagram: @ListenABLE_ Podcast https://www.instagram.com/listenable_podcast/

Grab our first merch release at our website From Your Pocket https://fromyourpocket.com.au/work/listenable/merch

Recorded, edited and produced by Angus' Podcast Company 

https://fromyourpocket.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With over 20 years of experience at Apple, senior director of Global Accessibility Sarah Herrlinger joins us in studio for a conversation about how the disability community has advanced technology which has benefited everyone and if you're using an iPhone especially you!

Think 'Siri' The forerunner for text-to-speech software was developed by a Silicon Valley inventor in association with the National Federation of the Blind to help the blind with some of their tasks and even text messages were invented as a way for deaf people to communicate with one another without speaking.

In addition to the pursuit of inclusion Sarah spills the BEST advice to businesses when it comes to the monetary value of including customers with disabilities in their marketing and customer vision.

Watch this episode with captions in 4K here:

https://youtu.be/jYN0BWXvNJg

Join the 10,000+ legends on Instagram: @ListenABLE_ Podcast https://www.instagram.com/listenable_podcast/

Grab our first merch release at our website From Your Pocket https://fromyourpocket.com.au/work/listenable/merch

Recorded, edited and produced by Angus' Podcast Company 

https://fromyourpocket.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Believing she had Gastro, 23 year old Jade Harrington was reluctant to go to hospital, but as her symptoms got worse she was directed through to Emergency and placed in an induced coma for 9 days from Septic shock. Jade decided to have her feet amputated below the knee after realising she was watching them slowly "die" in front of her.

Jade takes the title of "Newest guest to the disability community" coming on our show & recording just over a month after her amputations. Jade talks about her experience with new disabilities as she is still figuring out what it means to be "disabled", the concerns for her relationships and how she currently views her body as she learns to understand her new self.

Jade's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jadeoharrington
Jade's TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@jadeoharrington

Watch this episode with captions in 4K here:

https://youtu.be/vMQKsxGl3lE

Check out the new 11 part podcast series about Accessible Tourism: 'Accessed That'

https://www.queensland.com/au/en/things-to-do/traveller/accessibility/accessed-that-podcast

Join the 10,000+ legends on Instagram: @ListenABLE_ Podcast https://www.instagram.com/listenable_podcast/

Grab our first merch release at our website From Your Pocket https://fromyourpocket.com.au/work/listenable/merch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After attending the Sydney 2000 Paralympics there was no turning back for Sarah Rose, she had found her passion in swimming, a place that created an even playing field in a world that didn’t present her with the same opportunities as everyone else.

Sarah, who is four foot two, describes how swimming gave her a sense of purpose at a time when she didn't think she should be "proud" of her disability. After 23 years, Sarah has represented her nation both as an athlete and as a current member of the Paralympic Committee for the upcoming 2032 Summer Olympics in Brisbane, where she will be advocating for representation and employment. She is also getting ready to publish her first book and has become a media star on some of the most-watched shows in Australia as well as host a podcast where she interviews some big names.

Sarah also opened up to ListenABLE about her personal journey with IVF, choosing to screen for her disability and what it means to be a mum with Dwarfism both emotionally and physically.

Sarah’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarkaterose/

A Very Rosie Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/a-very-rosie-podcast/id1704548074

Watch this episode with captions in 4K here:

https://youtu.be/OFmUxnLNb14

Check out the new 11 part podcast series about Accessible Tourism: 'Accessed That'

https://www.queensland.com/au/en/things-to-do/traveller/accessibility/accessed-that-podcast

Join the 10,000+ legends on Instagram: @ListenABLE_ Podcast https://www.instagram.com/listenable_podcast/

Grab our first merch release at our website From Your Pocket https://fromyourpocket.com.au/work/listenable/merch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alison's life changed overnight when she couldn't feel anything from the waist down. After being diagnosed with a 'bad cold', her symptoms became worst, soon discovering she had Transverse Myelitis, 'an inflammatory disease of the Spinal Cord'.

With Alison now to become a full time Wheelchair user, it presented an opportunity to reflect on her career as a nurse and broaden her perspective of what support could look like in the in not only the medical community within her own town but within her own family.

Her email to ListenABLE:

“I would love to share my story on ListenABLE so that others can see that life doesn’t end just because you have a disability and really, life gets better because of it. I am a better wife, mum, friend and employee because of my disability”. Overcoming the previous stigma and representation of what it means to be disabled, Alison speaks about her current road to acceptance of her own disability and how her attitude has created a ripple effect to not only the people she loves most but her own community.

Check out Alison's website: My Choice Group: https://mychoicegroup.com.au/

Check out this episode on our YouTube: https://youtu.be/pYMfK5M-o1A

Check out the new 11 part podcast series about Accessible Tourism: 'Accessed That'

https://www.queensland.com/au/en/things-to-do/traveller/accessibility/accessed-that-podcast

Join the 10,000+ legends on Instagram: @ListenABLE_ Podcast https://www.instagram.com/listenable_podcast/

Grab our first merch release at our website From Your Pocket https://fromyourpocket.com.au/work/listenable/merch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Where's somewhere overseas that surprised you with their level of accessibility?

Also comment on our Instagram where your fav accessible spots in Australia are.

Watch this episode with captions on our YouTube Page:

https://youtu.be/uTecKWFhAvY

Check out the new 11 part podcast series about Accessible Tourism: 'Accessed That'

https://www.queensland.com/au/en/things-to-do/traveller/accessibility/accessed-that-podcast

Join the 10,000+ legends on Instagram: @ListenABLE_ Podcast https://www.instagram.com/listenable_podcast/

Grab our first merch release at our website From Your Pocket https://fromyourpocket.com.au/work/listenable/merch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 in 5 women with disability in Australia have experienced physical/domestic violence after the age of 15.

That's 1.2 Million Australian's with disability who don't have the correct resources or support to get the help that they need compared with 1.7 million without. Founder of 'Sitting Low, Reaching High' and disability advocate Mel Harrison helped a service open the first refuge for women in New South Wales in March 2021 to help curb this statistic.

Having a Spinal Cord Injury since she was 14 and being diagnosed as Hard of Hearing since she was 25, Mel pushes her limits travelling Australia, as the first Wheelchair User to compete in the 'Shit Box Rally', raising money by driving and camping across the Outback with very limited resources.

Wait till you hear about the toilets... or lack of!

But how far can Mel really push herself before it comes too much? Listen now to find out 

Please note in this episode there is Discussion around Domestic Violence. If you do feel like you need support after this episode, please look at the following resources: https://www.lifeline.org.au/

https://1800respect.org.au/

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sittinglowreachinghigh/

Website: https://sittinglowreachinghigh.com/

Check out our podcast on YouTube with captions here:

https://youtu.be/8oSF0E_jBec

Check out the new 11 part podcast series about Accessible Tourism: 'Accessed That'

https://www.queensland.com/au/en/things-to-do/traveller/accessibility/accessed-that-podcast

Join the 10,000+ legends on Instagram: @ListenABLE_ Podcast https://www.instagram.com/listenable_podcast/

Grab our first merch release at our website From Your Pocket https://fromyourpocket.com.au/work/listenable/merch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if you could choose not to impart a hereditary condition to your newborn before they were born. Would you take that option?

Pre-implantation genetic testing (PGT) is a technique used to test embryos for known genetic conditions or chromosomal abnormalities. 

From physical health conditions all the way to mental health, Dylan and Angus are presented which two unique cases of a new IVF program called ‘Genomic Testing’ and the ethics around how far should you go when creating a "super baby" and the inherent ableism of the parents to create a "Healthy Baby".

Angus also has an exciting family news himself he shares with you, the ListenABLE family!

Link to VICE News Article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KthrLReQE70

Join the 10,000+ legends on Instagram: @ListenABLE_ Podcast https://www.instagram.com/listenable_podcast/

Grab our first merch release at our website From Your Pocket https://fromyourpocket.com.au/work/listenable/merch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jacob Darkin went to impress his girlfriend by doing a front flip. Opening his eyes he realised he would be spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

This interview catches Dylan Alcott and Angus O'Loughlin off guard in a few moments none more so when Jacob revealed the age of his accident. 

Join us this week for a fascinating look into the life of an able-bodied father adjusting to life raising a toddler from his chair.

Follow Jacobs journey:

https://www.instagram.com/jacob.darkin/

Work with him:

https://au.linkedin.com/in/jacob-darkin

Watch this episode on our YouTube with captions

https://youtu.be/V-Y84wKq0uQ

Check out the new 11 part podcast series about Accessible Tourism: 'Accessed That'

https://www.queensland.com/au/en/things-to-do/traveller/accessibility/accessed-that-podcast

Join the 10,000+ legends on Instagram: @ListenABLE_ Podcast https://www.instagram.com/listenable_podcast/

Grab our first merch release at our website From Your Pocket https://fromyourpocket.com.au/work/listenable/merch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Why the Shift 20 Initiative would have changed my life" - Dylan Alcott

Growing up, one thing I struggled with when I turned on the TV, the radio, or picked up the newspaper, was that I didn’t see or hear anybody like me. I saw non-disabled people. The only time I saw people with disability was as a result of a tragic car accident – the person looking sad and helpless in a wheelchair, deterring you from speeding. I used to believe this stereotype was my destiny in life – and it used to break my heart.

For nearly one in five Australians, this is the reality they still live with almost every single day. Because despite there being almost 4.5 million Australians living with disability, we are only represented in one percent of global advertising. One percent.

But with almost 20% of our population living with some form of visible or invisible disability, we make up a significant percentage of the consumer market. We’re eating at Maccas, we’re getting rideshare, we’re wearing undies, we’re opening bank accounts and we’re washing our hair – but right now we can’t see ourselves, and are left out when it comes to representation in advertising.

When it comes to inclusion of people with disability, advertising done properly is listening to those people’s lived experience, but also understanding the massive opportunity of having representation of the whole population in your brand’s work. Being more inclusive for customers is not just the right thing to do, it’s good for business, with recent research by TRA, showing a commitment to representation to be not only socially beneficial, but also economically, with 49% of respondents more likely to purchase from brands showing fair representation for people with disability. In short; when people living with disability see people who look and sound like themselves, not only are they more likely to buy the product or service being advertised, but so too are those around them – mothers, fathers, siblings and friends, who have also been impacted by disability.

We really wanted the inclusion of people with disability to become the norm, which is why, working alongside thirteen of Australia’s most prominent brands, we’ve founded the Shift 20 Initiative.

The Shift 20 initiative demonstrates the importance of visibility on-screen, by encouraging brands to commit to fair representation of disability. Initially, we’re changing a scene within ten of our founding brand’s current ads to include a person with disability, but we hope to go far beyond that, providing resources and consultancy for brands on how to be more inclusive long term. This is all whilst providing opportunities and opening doors for people with disability to be themselves and see themselves on screen, creating employment pathways for people with disability both on-screen and behind the camera.

Seeing people like me on TV would have changed my life, and that’s what is so powerful about this initiative. The talent are not famous people with disability, instead, they’re ordinary people doing ordinary things; eating breakfast, brushing their teeth, going to work and buying insurance.

We hope working in the way we have, valuing the skills and talents of those with disability in the same way we would anyone else, and partnering with the brands who are approaching this with such enthusiasm, we can shift perceptions when society thinks of people with disability. We want people to not only think of gold medal Paralympians or someone in an accident to pity. Instead, we want everyone to see normal people just like them. We want non-disabled kids to watch these ads and see someone with a disability as their equal, and not lesser than. Hopefully, on a wider scale, this will encourage everyone to have a different perspective, so you might then hire someone in your business with a disability or see someone in a bar who is blind or deaf and ask them on a date.

The thing we’d love Australia to learn out of this campaign is that we as people with disability, we shop, we eat, we travel, we work, we’re great talent, we’re just normal people. But only when given the opportunity to be ourselves.

Watch this episode, captioned, on our YouTube:

https://youtu.be/mBS0y1U23Do

Join the 10,000+ legends on Instagram: @ListenABLE_ Podcast https://www.instagram.com/listenable_podcast/

Grab our first merch release at our website From Your Pocket https://fromyourpocket.com.au/work/listenable/merch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.