It’s hard to believe it’s been 44 years since my life changed in an instant. As I look back, I see a journey that has been filled with uncertainty, fear, but also immense hope and possibility. There was a time when the future felt like an overwhelming question mark—when I […]
Tag: advocacy
On the Platform with Michelle Pownell
Tell us about yourself I’m 48 years old, a wife, mum of 2 teenagers and a dog, and I live in Brisbane. I have a number of conditions which are part of my disability including Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), Fibromyalgia, Osteoarthritis, and CREST Scleroderma. What has been your journey of […]
On the Platform with Kendra Erhardt
Tell us about yourself My name is Kendra Erhardt, I am from Alberta, Canada and am 32 years old. I have been a full-time manual wheelchair user for the past 5 years as a result of a spinal cord injury sustained in a sports accident. I started Wheelie Girl Travel […]
On the Platform with Chanel Bowen
Tell us about yourself My name is Chanel Bowen, I live in the South West of WA and I just turned 30… Goodness! What has been your journey of disability? I acquired my disability as an adult. Managing any disability in this ableist society is always a challenge, but I […]
On the Platform with Jaimie Topham
Tell us about yourself My name is Jaimie Topham, I am 19 years old, and I live in Perth WA. I graduated from high school at the end of 2021 and have been working as an Administrator for an international engineering company for the past 8 months. Now I am […]
Why competency fatigue is real… on the Platform with Chris
I have lived with disability for a very long time, and some days I get tired of those intrusive, inappropriate and often offensive questions from strangers and people who I hardly know. I get tired of challenging the assumptions others make about how tragic my life must be because I […]
On the Platform with Amanda Turner
Title Image credit Jessi Story Tell us about yourself My name is Amanda Turner, I’m 37 years old and I live in Adelaide, South Australia What has been your journey of disability? I was diagnosed with Complex PTSD in my late 20’s after a number of years of being misdiagnosed […]
Today has been just a regular day
Today has been just a regular day, nothing exciting or amazing, a coffee with my husband, an appointment and a workout followed by a cup of tea and a cuddle with my cat. The sun will set soon and with it the passing of another anniversary of my “second” life. […]
On the Platform with Naomi Lake
I first met our latest Platform Storyteller when I was working on a project to share stories of people with disability living in regional Western Australia. Naomi Lake was kind and welcoming, she showed me around her community and gave me an insight into her life in a small town. […]
On the Platform with Peta Hooke
Platform Stories is my opportunity to showcase and support other woman with disability, and creating each piece refreshes me. I feel more like part of a collective, part of a groundswell of change on how people living with disability are seen as all that we are… capable, dynamic, individual, human, […]
On the Platform with Dr Michelle Hu
Tell us about yourself I’m Dr. Michelle Hu and I am a pediatric audiologist and a classically trained Chef. I grew up in the small town of Kent, Ohio but have called San Diego, California home for the past 11 years. I am the mama of two little girls, two […]
On the Platform – Naomi Lake has a message for the world: anything is possible if you have a dream
Part of my daily life outside working on Platform stories is taken up with working at ATLAS, a wonderful recreation inclusion program for people with disability and working at ABC Midwest and Wheatbelt. Both provide me with challenges and rewards that keep life interesting and provide me with a sense […]