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On this episode, Susan is joined by former Australian Disability Discrimination Commissioner, and disability advocate, Professor Alastair McEwin AM.

He shares his story of lived experience growing up with a disability, his work as a Royal Commissioner with the Disability Royal Commission, helping form the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), Professor at University of New South Wales and his lifelong mission to push for a more inclusive Australia.

If a transcript doesn't automatically generate, you can find a transcript of this episode here.

Information in this episode

UNSW Professor of Practice in Disability https://www.unsw.edu.au/staff/alastair-mcewin

Australia Disability Discrimination Commissioner (2016 - 2019) https://humanrights.gov.au/about-us/our-people/previous-office-holders/disability-discrimination-commissioner-mr-alastair-mcewin

Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/

Grattan Institute https://grattan.edu.au/disability/

Community Legal Centres NSW https://www.clcnsw.org.au/

People with Disability Australia https://pwd.org.au/

Credits
This episode has been produced by Anh Nguyen written and edited by Susan Wood. Logo art by Cobie Ann Moore.

Spinal Cord Injuries Australia is a for-purpose organisation that supports people with a spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions. For more information about our supports and services, visit our Resource Hub at https://scia.org.au/resource-hub/.

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What would you do if your car broke down on the side of the road and there were no available options for transport assistance to get you somewhere safe? To get you home?

This year, Sarah-Jane (SJ) Staszak was stranded on the side of the M4 in New South Wales for four hours after her car broke down, because there wasn't an alternative option for her to be transported safely in her wheelchair when the tow truck arrived.

It just so happened that she knew someone who had a trailer to transport her power wheelchair – but what if she didn’t?

Also on the episode is Tony Jones, SCIA's Disability Inclusion and Insights Advisor, who worked with SJ on this case.

Both share their insights on what it's like to live with a disability and heavily rely on accessible taxis for their primary form of transportation, as well as discussing the problem with accessible public transport when living in a regional, rural and even remote area in Australia.

Information in this episode

Advocacy & Your Rights https://scia.org.au/living-with-a-disability/advocacy-your-rights/

Navigating Life with a Disability https://scia.org.au/living-with-a-disability/navigating-life-with-a-disability/

Anti-Discrimination NSW https://antidiscrimination.nsw.gov.au/

Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) https://humanrights.gov.au/

Justice and Equity Centre https://jec.org.au/

Parliament of Australia - Contacting Senators and Members https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Contacting_Senators_and_Members

Find Your Local Representative - Find My Electorate https://electorate.aec.gov.au/

Credits
This episode has been written, produced and edited by Susan Wood. Logo art by Cobie Ann Moore.

If you would like to email us with a podcast topic request email community@scia.org.au with the subject heading 'Podcast Topic Request'

Spinal Cord Injuries Australia is a for-purpose organisation that supports people with a spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions. For more information about our supports and services, visit our Resource Hub at https://scia.org.au/resource-hub/.

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In this episode meet Luke Spencer and Kat Yee. At age 12, Luke was diagnosed with Fredrich’s Ataxia, and in May 2024, after a series of complications at the age of 25, he had a pacemaker put in that both Kat and Luke lovingly refer to C-3PO.

This is the story of how Luke wanted to snorkelling in Fiji after his pacemaker was put in at the age of 25, and how Kat supported Luke as an Exercise Physiologist at NeuroMoves Lismore, and then as his support worker and most importantly, his friend when they finally got to snorkelling in Fiji at the end of 2025.

We believe that stories lived experience is the best way for people to learn about disability and help take action.

Information in this episode

NeuroMoves specialised exercise service https://neuromoves.org.au/

Friedreich Ataxia (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/friedreich-ataxia

Supanova Comic Con & Gaming https://www.supanova.com.au/

C-3PO (Star Wars) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-3PO

Credits
This episode has been written, produced and edited by Susan Wood. Logo art by Cobie Ann Moore.

If you would like to email us with a podcast topic request email community@scia.org.au with the subject heading 'Podcast Topic Request'

Spinal Cord Injuries Australia is a for-purpose organisation that supports people with a spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions. For more information about our supports and services, visit our Resource Hub at https://scia.org.au/resource-hub/.