Disability simulation fails to capture the nuance and complexity of living in a disabled body. And it certainly fails to give a deep understanding of systemic discrimination and abuse faced by disabled people.

I quickly learned that asking if an interview space was wheelchair accessible was a bad idea; it gave a potential employer an immediate bad impression. It was either a black mark against my name, or...

From pink water bottles for breast cancer to dumping a bucket of ice water on your head for neuromuscular conditions, it seems we’re bombarded by requests to be ‘aware’ of one thing or another.

The mere suggestion that not speaking for a day can give you an appreciation of the social isolation that comes with the experience of disability, particularly those whose impairments prohibit them from communicating verbally, is...

I have always felt like a loved, valued and equal member of my family.

In Australia, a deaf person attending an interview must take their own interpreter at their own expense, or ask the employer to provide one. Believe me, nothing says ‘I’m the best person for this job’...

My parents didn’t know what to do with me, so they just pretended I was normal, and that worked out quite well for me.

People with disabilities are simply part of diverse communities in the U.S.

The killing of a disabled person is not ‘compassionate’. It is not ‘euthanasia’. It is murder.

I use the term ‘disabled people’ quite deliberately, because I subscribe to what’s called the social model of disability, which tells us that we are more disabled by the society that we live in than...

From time to time, people pat me on the head. It happens on public transport, in the supermarket, in bars. It’s a common enough occurrence that it very rarely takes me completely by surprise.

Too often, we fall into the trap of thinking ‘equal’ means ‘the same’ and that we achieve equality by treating everyone identically.

I tend not to think about living to some grand old age. Then again, I don’t think about dying, either.

In days gone by, short-statured people were not only labelled as ugly, stupid and freakish, they were often owned by aristocrats and treated, at best, as entertainment and, at worst, as pets.

Personally, I like a generous side of wheelchair access with my cities.

Physical access is one of the very first issues disability rights activists of the 1960s and ’70s fought for.

The thing about living with any disability is that you adapt; you do what works for you.

I’ve lost count of the number of times that I’ve been approached by strangers wanting to tell me that they think I’m brave or inspirational, and this was long before my work had any kind...

I am repeatedly asked in interviews exactly ‘what’s wrong’ with me, and I always give them the same answer; I don’t identify the name of my condition in an interview unless it’s relevant to the...

We think we know what it’s all about; we think that disability is a really simple thing, and we don’t expect to see disabled people in our daily lives.

I used to think of myself in terms of who I’d be if I didn’t have this pesky old disability.

It is nothing short of baffling to me how a city like Melbourne, where I struggle to find accessible facilities on a very regular basis, could be considered the most livable city in the world....

Self esteem and a healthy body image for people with disabilities are so often hard-fought.

We all learn how to use the bodies we’re born with, or learn to use them in an adjusted state, whether those bodies are considered disabled or not.

Apologies are great, but they don’t really change anything. You know what does? Action.

In my own home, where I’ve been able to create an environment that works for me, I’m hardly disabled at all. I still have an impairment, and there are obviously some very restrictive things about...

I currently live independently without any funded support. I’m educated, and I’m employed. I enjoy paying my taxes and contributing to the economic life of Australia.

The magnitude of discrimination and stigma faced by people with disability in Australia cannot be underestimated. People do not understand disability, and people fear what they don’t understand.

I’m a full-time wheelchair user. And yet, given the right circumstances, I am able to work.

Let me make this clear: my impairment is such that without a wheelchair, I can’t do very much for myself. I can’t get out of bed. I can’t get myself to the toilet. I certainly...

The purpose of our justice system is to reflect the values of our society and to punish those who violate our standards.

When patronised, I’m unfortunately more flight than fight. Perhaps it’s because I actually feel quite wounded.

Disability doesn’t make you exceptional, but questioning what you think you know about it does.

It became very clear to me that Yooralla was not as interested in media coverage that explored issues faced by people with disability as it was in giving a pat on the back to journalists...

I grew up in a very small country town in Victoria. I had a very normal, low-key kind of upbringing. I went to school, I hung out with my friends, I fought with my younger...

Disability is often framed, in medical terms, as the ultimate disaster and certainly as a deficit.

If everyone’s looking at me, I might as well say something interesting.

My everyday life in which I do exactly the same things as everyone else should not inspire people, and yet I am constantly congratulated by strangers for simply existing.

We are a society that treats people with disabilities with condescension and pity, not dignity and respect.

Yooralla is a people pleaser with a very powerful PR machine.

I once choked on a chip at a friend’s birthday when I was seven and had to be sent home, as I’d broken my collarbone coughing.

Many of us, particularly those of us with disabilities who have faced persistent discrimination throughout our lives, not least when trying to find employment in the first place, take enormous pride in our hard-fought jobs...

I have a condition called Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), which has affected my growth and bone strength. In short, people with the kind of OI I have generally experience hundreds of fractures in their lifetime and...

As disabled people, we are taught from a young age that those who are attracted to us are to be regarded with suspicion.

In many ways, I’m incredibly lucky to have been born with my impairment and that it’s visible. It means my path has been predictable.

People get all up in arms when I describe myself as a crip because what they hear is the word ‘cripple,’ and they hear a word you’re not allowed to say anymore.

We fill our lives with all sorts of things that make it easier for us to get along in the world: wheelchairs, crutches, grabber sticks, hearing aids, canes, guide dogs, modified vehicles, ramps, as well...

Yooralla, like most disability service organisations, is full of good people who are passionate about the rights of people with disabilities.

People are uncomfortable about disability, and so interactions can become unintentionally uncomfortable.

Most disability charity hinges on that notion – that you need to send your money in quick before all these poor, pitiful people die. Peddling pity brings in the bucks, yo.