International Day of People with Disability

Every year on December 3rd we see a flurry of activity in the media about the International Day of People with Disability. There will also be a burst of activity on the various days devoted to specific disabilities such as Autism and Down Syndrome, but as Kurt Fearnley, Australian paralympian and new CEO of the …

Disability is a Blessing Too

The Australian Federal Election campaign is now in full swing and "Scotty from Ableism" has lit up the internet because he is “blessed” to not have “children with disabilities.” Understandably parents with children who have disabilities and the rest of the disability community are shocked and outraged. What does that make us? The Cursed Ones?? …

Understanding the NDIS Plan

For many Australians living with a disability the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has become such a regular part of life that it can be difficult to remember how life was before. For our son Dan, who has autism and an intellectual impairment, the NDIS is the way in which he receives the supports that …

National Carers Week – Why Do We Care?

National Carers Week has been celebrated in Australia since 1992. It aims to recognise and celebrate the significant contribution that unpaid carers make to the Australian community. This year the theme focuses on the stories of carers asking them the question -  Why Do You Care? 1 in every 8 Australians is caring for a …

Caring During Covid 19

Covid 19 has scored a sizeable hit on life as we once knew it. Businesses and services were closed. Many people lost their jobs. Travellers were stranded overseas and grocery shopping became the social highlight of the week. As schools closed and moved to online learning, many parents struggled to balance working from home with …

Cruising the Whitsundays

    Last week, Dan and some of his friends from Yellow Bridge boarded the P & O cruise ship, the Aria, and headed up to the Whitsunday Islands for a four night cruise. The Whitsundays are a group of islands 900km north of Brisbane in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef. They are …

Caring for the Carer

Life is a difficult balancing act. Most of us are trying to juggle work and family commitments while also trying to maintain our own well-being and sanity. For the most part, it works, even if sometimes it’s a mad scramble and there are a few near-misses. Occasionally though, it doesn’t work and everything falls in …

Hanging Out with the Boys

Hanging out with your friends is something that most young people take for granted. Going out for a drink, watching a movie or cheering your favourite sporting team are all rites of passage on the journey to independence. Young people meet up, hang out and bond together spontaneously without hardly a second thought. But if …

The Carer’s Road

Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home. Matsuo Basho  From the moment we are born, a path stretches out before us. We don't know where it will lead. We just begin, one step at a time. Sometimes the way is a smooth, well-worn path and at other times it feels like …

Miss You Too, Buddy

Lately I have had to spend a lot of time in Brisbane. It's not easy for country kids to move to the city to attend university. The city is a noisy, crowded, busy place. It is an unfamiliar place, teeming with strangers and unfamiliar sounds, smells and routines. Bec is a quiet kind of kid. …