2.1 million working-age Australians live with a disability therefore creating a more accepting and understanding culture surrounding disability is integral in increasing employee health and wellbeing, and lowering unemployment rates.
International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) is held on 3 December each year. We work with a range of Disability Speakers that can provide your organization with inspiring stories on inclusion, accessibility, and reaching your goals. These Speakers have local and global expertise and specialize in providing easily digestible presentations tailored to your organization or team.
If you're looking for a Speaker to raise awareness, acceptance, and understanding of disability this IDPwD, contact our expert team on 1300 799 823 or enquire here for more information.
A true story of triumph over tragedy. Curtis McGrath is a para-canoeist like no other. On the 23rd of August 2012, young soldier Curtis McGrath’s life changed forever when the 24-year-old tragically lost both his legs in an IED blast.
Thirty minutes after losing both his legs in a horrific blast in Afghanistan, in those traumatic moments as he was being stretchered from the bomb site, Curtis was already thinking about pursuing a career as an amputee athlete. Fully aware of his grim situation and partly to maintain consciousness as a survival mechanism, he joked with those helping him about becoming a Paralympian. He didn’t know what sport he was going to do, but his positive outlook and determination to rebound and get on with achieving his driving ambitions is what has made this man get to where he is today. Learn about Curtis >
Cam Calkoen dreams of a world where everyone is inspired to embrace their opportunity and our physical being is no barrier to succeeding in our dreams and aspirations.
No one can walk and talk at birth. Some people like Cam, are presented with this likelihood for the rest of their lives. He chose to defy the odds, and now showcases what can be achieved when we identify a challenge, leverage our opportunities and uniqueness, and indeed live for awesome!
Cam is an athletic gold medalist, highly effective charitable fundraiser, social entrepreneur, and now a globally renowned inspirational speaker who ignites a connection and clarity between inspiration, dreams, and people.
Learn about Cam >
Karni Liddell is one of Australia's most successful and well-respected Paralympic swimmers of our time, but Karni's journey to success began a lot differently than the typical elite athlete.
Karni was born with a neuromuscular wasting disease, and her parents were told that their first-born child wouldn’t walk, crawl or live past her teenage years.
Beating all the odds, Karni has medalled at every Paralympics she has competed in, and also captained the Number 1 team at the Sydney 2000 Games. she is also the Queensland ambassador for the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Learn about Karni >
Kurt Fearnley was born without the lower portion of his spine but never allowed this to hold him back. Kurt went on to become one of Australia's most successful and respected athletes and advocates.
His achievements as a Paralympic athlete, service to people with a disability, and fundraising efforts when it comes to Indigenous athletics and charitable organisations earned him an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2018.
Kurt is a passionate disability advocate and devotes himself to a number of national and Hunter-based charitable initiatives. He is a board member of the Australian Paralympic Commitee, Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation, and member of the International Paralympic Committee's Athlete Advisory Council.
Rosanne Stuart is one determined fighter. She’s had to be. Ever since her only child Madeline was born 22 years ago with Down syndrome, she has faced prejudice and many battles to raise her daughter to be the best version of herself. Now, Madeline is the world’s first successful professional adult model with Down syndrome.
Madeline and Rosanne are advocates for inclusivity and diversity, not just on the runway but throughout society. They advocate changing the stigma attached to disability.
Mike Rolls teaches people how to STAND TALL in the face of adversity and he brings a fresh voice to the field of resilience.
Mike Rolls was faced with life-changing trauma at the age of 18 when he contracted the deadly Meningococcal disease. Mike suffered catastrophic injuries and faced an incredibly difficult journey ahead. A journey he slowly learned to embrace, grow from, and eventually use to help and inspire others to step up to life’s inevitable challenges.
Considered one of the most dynamic and relevant speakers in Australia, Mike gives organisations the strategies and confidence they need to face the challenges of business with a new sense of optimism and understanding.
Nas Campanella lost her sight when she was only 6 months old and also suffers from a sensitivity condition called Charcot-Marie-tooth which means that she is unable to read brail.
Nas has built a career working as a newsreader, reporter, journalist, and senior producer as well as undertaking projects with ABC international Development, running initiatives for people living with disability across the pacific.
Nas has supported young people with vision impairments to transition into mainstream schooling. She also works as a mentor to people with disabilities and mental illness.
Dr Gill Hicks is one of the most thought-provoking, powerful and life-affirming speakers in Australia.
She is globally known as an advocate for sustainable peace and a valuable resource in countering violent extremism. Her devotion to building peace was realised when she was permanently injured in the London terrorist bombings on July 7th, 2005. But Gill is much more than a survivor, and her presentations focus on topics such as confidence and trust within ourselves, how having both allows us to make transformative choices. Gill has moved audiences at events around the world and in 2018 she reached everyday Australians by sharing her story with Anh Do on an incredible episode of Anh's Brush with Fame.
Named one of the Top 100 Women of Influence 2019 by the Australian Financial Review, Melanie Tran is a designer, an innovator, an activist, a social entrepreneur.
Melanie’s lived experience, developed skills and knowledge allow for her work to span the disability, health, social impact and technology sectors. With over eight years’ experience, and through her role as a UX Designer at Hireup, Melanie specializes in bringing together the worlds of business, design and social impact.
Born at 25 weeks with multiple disabilities, Matt Levy was not meant to make it past day 1.
Matthew has had 50 odd operations, is legally blind with cerebral palsy. His story is one courage, overcoming obstacles and facing adversity head-on. With 4 Paralympics, multiple World Records, 3 Gold Medals and an OAM, his is a truly remarkable story.
A Paralympic Gold Medallist, international motivational speaker, attorney, brand ambassador, board director, TV reporter, and sports commentator, Annabelle Williams is a leading voice on diversity and inclusion and is creating a movement to change people's perceptions about their own limitations.
From corporate keynotes to sports conferences, there’s no space too big or too small to hear Annabelle’s captivating and inspirational message. Combining playful anecdotes with valuable insights, Annabelle tackles some of the biggest ideas on courage, grit, perseverance, and inclusion with boldness and humility. Annabelle was born with a congenital limb deficiency and is a leading voice on diversity and inclusion and is creating a movement to change people's perceptions about their own limitations.
As Australia’s most renowned blind musician and guitar player, Lorin Nicholson is one of the countries highest selling independent artists, with five successful albums to his credit, as well as golden guitar finalist and winner of the 2015 record producer of the year award. He is also one of an elite few, invited to be a lead-line endorsee for the prestigious Martin & Co Guitar Company.
Lorin Nicholson not only understands the keys and principles for success, but he also personifies them and has now shared this knowledge and experience in over 4000 keynote addresses to more than a million people across all industries from hospitality to mining, Health to finance sales to technology, and service to education.
