In Plain Sight

This week on In Plain Sight we had the delight of talking with Cara Gilkison, one of the founding members of the singing group The Lights.  This fabulous group of singers and musicians are a group of five legally blind people who all love playing  music and singing. They  came together, initiated by Cara who leads the group, to start singing for a Christmas event in 2024.They a...

Lena Ladhams the Group Support, & co-ordinator of the Vision Australia I-Sight Community Group joins Simon and Andrew for an informative & interesting chat. We learn all about  what this monthly community group has to offer and its main purpose & aims. Lena has  been supporting this free community group since 2022, as a volunteer to assist with the coordination and facilitati...

Recently a team from DADAA, in Fremantle, Western Australia went to Canberra to conduct some interviews and other projects for Radio DADA. And, this week on In Plain Sight Simon has collated three samples of their fabulous work and reporting from Parliament House. We have chosen three interviews that the Radio DADA Reporters conducted with two politicians and one Parliament House staff person with...

This week we are talking with Colleen Ashby, who had a heart transplant in 2017, which due to complications left her also becoming blind. But, Colleen’s natural optimism, determination and generous spirit  used this life changing event as a motivational force.  She is also an example of someone who is driven by a strong sense of purpose linked to community and a desire to `Give Bac...

This week we present a fabulous conversation with Sandee Facy,   the Head of Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Australia and New Zealand. The Sunflower and Hidden Disabilities are trying to  increase awareness, & understanding of non-visible disabilities, and helping to create communities where people feel seen, supported and included. We learn of what is a Hidden Disability and how...

This week on In Plain Sight we have a very pleasant conversation with Darryl Davenport; Principle of Ballroom Fit, & Chairperson of Para Ability Dance WA. Darryl shares his passion and insights into these wonderful dance opportunities for people with disabilities, in both the social and competitive spaces. Darryl has successfully transitioned his life-long participation and many years of being...

In recognition of International Day of Sign Languages that falls on  Wed 23 September we are revisiting a fabulous conversation with Linda de Rozario, CEO of Vital Interpreting Personnel.  In Australia, we celebrate & acknowledge  National Week Of Deaf People from 21-27 September; which incorporates International Day of Sign Languages. Auslan is the sign language used in Austral...

Hi this week we bring you a revisit to an excellent interview with the dynamic and positive Colleen Ashby;an author athlete and fundraising champion. Colleen is involved in so many wonderful things and we share this episode now to highlight a fundraiser that is literally close to Colleen’s heart. Colleen will be captain of a team participating in the the Breaths and Beats Ride for Research,s...

This week we have a very interesting conversation with Adam Schickerling, the CEO of Synapse, one of Australia’s leading support agencies for people with an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). As  it was recently Brain Injury Awareness Week , we thought it would be good to learn more about brain injury and the support and services  aimed to assist ing people living with an ABI. The theme...

This week on IPS we are learning about brain injury and living with an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI).  We had a fabulous warm & insightful conversation with Fiona Hopper, Peer Project Coordinator at Brain Injury Matters (BIM). BIM is a membership based peer to peer support group based in Melbourne. There are many aspects of living with an acquired brain injury (ABI), while firstly acknowled...

This week we speak with Dennis Collins, Arts Mentor from DADAA & Joe Teakle, arts participant and Radio DADAA presenter, about their visit to Canberra to interview some federal politicians, to gain some insights into their views on Arts and Disability Inclusion. We learn about the background and aims & objectives of this bold project.   During this fun, lively & informative conver...

This week we’d like to introduce you to a new online platform & app called “Connect Up”.ConnectUp is a free Australian app launched in June 2026 to help people with disability, unpaid carers, and families reduce social isolation and find physical activities. It lets users build online connections, arrange in-person meetups, and discover accessible venues using an interactive...

This week on the show join Simon and Andrew as they chat to Joe Teakle about his career as a filmmaker and host of Film Talk on radio DADAA. He recounts his experience making the documentary 'Theatricality' (2024) for SBS and future plans for acting and film making.  His love of movies has expanded to hosting the show Film Talk on the newly launched Radio DADAA every Wednesday from 11am to 12...

LeadAbility delivered by Leadership WA, aims to empower Western Australians with disability to become confident leaders and explore their full potential in a dynamic practical leadership program. This week on In Plain sight we enjoyed the company of Meagan Shand who has just begun her role as the Leadership Development Manager at LeadAbility. Meagan shared many interesting aspects about this fabul...

Lilly is a super impressive young person, who has already written her first book “Blossom, and is now    preparing for an upcoming documentary and her entry into the Focus on Ability Film Festival. As a WA Youth Awards finalist 2024 & 2025 lily proudly, & boldly uses her voice to create change. This week at In Plain Sight we  are delighted to replay a wonderful convers...

Kyra Cullton is a recent participant of the CPActive Changemakers leadership program conducted by the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Australia.  The 12 week CPActive program aims to bring people together to make Australia more inclusive, whilst developing young leaders advocating for change. This dynamic & impressive young person who lives in the town of Australind, 2 hours South of Pe...

There's far more to Mel Stephens than first meets the eye. Mel is a passionate storyteller, disability advocate and content creator who is blind, sharing her life, experiences and adventures with audiences across Australia and beyond. Living in regional Victoria, Mel describes herself simply: *"I'm just a country girl. I love horses, I love footy, I love travel. I just happen to experience the wor...

Introducing Martin Stewart a long term campaigner, activist & advocate of rights and needs for people who are blind.  Martin was born blind and in 2002 was seriously injured  an horrific public transport accident. In his current role at Blind Citizens Australia (BCA) as the National Individual Advocacy Officer he assists people who are blind or vision impaired to empower them to achi...

Join us this week as we celebrate the lives and stories of Deafblind Western Australians. Simon and Andrew have a chat with Linni Oliver and Jason Rowland from Deafblind WA (DBWA) to help us celebrate and acknowledge Deafblind Awareness Week which runs from June 22nd to the 28th. This year's theme is 'Connected by touch: Breaking barriers, building bridges." While we can't connect via touch in thi...

This week we enjoyed the company of Matt Spencer, a well respected member of the Blind Community in Perth. We really appreciate learning about such positive and active people, and to be able to share their stories with you. Matt is one of those wonderful people who is actively involved in many aspects of community and we aim to bring his story to light, which would otherwise be hidden in plain sig...

This week on In Plain Sight we have compiled a very special show to highlight some of the prominent people who have featured in Simon’s life who have demonstrated leadership and acted as role-models, within the Blind Community in Perth and beyond. We start the program with a fresh conversation with Dr Scott Holier as we explore & examine aspects of leadership, community connections and h...

This week we have the pleasure of talking with Emma Vardy, who has recently participated in the Young Leaders program conducted and organised by DeafBlind Western Australians (DBWA). Emma describes the complexities of becoming a leader and exploring one's own internal leadership. She proudly illustrates her journey from little knowledge to demonstrating her strength and confidence gained from part...

This week we present a special program in collaboration with Blind Sports WA, featuring Ben Rowe, Executive officer at Blind Sports WA. Simon was moved and inspired by a recent BSWA podcast by Ben called "How do we perceive ourselves as blind or vision impaired?" This episode serves as a clip show of this great discussion by Ben to generate a conversation around perception and personal confidence....

This week on In Plain Sight we had the pleasure of interviewing Glenn Wilson a Digital Accessibility Analyst for the Centre for Accessibility Australia. Glenn discusses his background as an educator in fields including computing and manual arts, and how that serves as a scaffold to his current role of ensuring that websites and digital documents are accessible for people with disability.  Sim...

This week on the show Simon and Andrew have a chat about the recent changes to NDIS funding and the role this scheme plays in the life of those receiving support. Our feature interview for this episode is with the ever positive Melanie Hawkes, the WA Director for Physical Disability Australia and disability advocate recognised for her creativity, leadership and commitment to strong inclusive commu...