ListenABLE

"When I fly I am a very different person, I am my true self" Ask yourself this question: Would you be comfortable with the pilot of your plane being Autistic? With his passion for promoting real inclusion for people on the Spectrum, Hayden McDonald (22) is Australia's first "Unofficial" Pilot who is Autistic to fly solo across Australia. "Don't want to take that risk and doesn't want to be Neurodi...

“I’ve always been talking about my disability through the lens of fashion” With over 120k followers on social media, April Lockhart's limb difference has now become her "greatest accessory"  as she educates the public about her disability. April's ability to tell stories through her outfits on social media is one of passion and authenticity as she chats to ListenABLE on how fashion comes first ove...

"If I'm with ten friends and all of us can't get into a space all ten of us will go elsewhere" Sociability is working towards having a FREE platform to check the accessibility of pubs, bars, cafés - you name it and question all of your requirements at the press of a button. Imagine as a hospitality business having a FREE platform that provides a resource for customers that brings in customers simp...

WARNING: This episode contains detailed description of the attack, injuries and graphic nature of the events of the day. In 2015 Chris and his two mates went surfing off a notoriously Great White Shark hot spot in Rural South Australia.  They knew the risks, as all surfers do, but the reward of uncrowded line ups and good conditions had them pull on their wetsuits that morning. Chris is a brillian...

At the age of 9 Ben McIntosh's life changed when his sister Grace was born into the world with Down Syndrome. Their incredibly close relationship and sense of humour spawned a career in Support Work for Ben and an Instagram and TikTok account to chronicle their jump scares, dancing and connection. Then entered Zac Carley the Elvis obsessed, eyebrow shuffling accidental star who's resistance to wea...

Starting with small practices of advocacy at a very young age, Breanna Medcalfe, 21, is setting out on a journey to educate others and be a young voice for people with disability. Already making waves in medical alum by being a Health Consumer Disability Representative Advocate we were very lucky to have this time with her before her stratospheric launch into high profile advocacy! Moving from New...

"It makes it much easier jamming a crutch in the front door of a CEO office" - Ross Chaplin At the age of two after being at the hospital at “the wrong place wrong time” Ross Chaplin obtained a "bug" called Guillian-Barré Syndrome leaving him Hemiplegic, no use of his right leg and minimal use of his left arm, and therefore a full and vibrant life on crutches. Ross is a strong advocate for equalit...

"I want opportunities created for the 9% of our student population with disability. That's 1.6 million students in Australia. That's 144,000 students with some form of disability, which is bigger than 3-4 of the big Universities." - Paul Harpur. When Paul Harpur was hit by a train he lost his eyesight. Already feeling that "teenage boys don't wanna stand out for the wrong reason", sport not only b...

"I spent a lot of my life scared of is it my... mortality? I was scared a lot that I can't do things like everybody else, that I had to go hard or go home, 'die before you're 30 plan'. And then now I'm 28 and I'm like, 'Oh my God, I now need to save and do the big adult things.'" - Michaela Broderick. Welcome back to ListenABLE for 2024 where our first guest Michaela Broderick doesn’t waste time t...

“And I do understand why it is an issue in the disability community. I shouldn't be speaking for people with disability. I need to speak for my son because he's non speaking and I am his advocate, but I I quickly learned the tension that exists here and I'm now a lot more respectful of it” What does it mean to be a voice for someone with disability? Due to Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy, seven year o...

With over 20 years of experience at Apple, senior director of Global Accessibility Sarah Herrlinger joins us in studio for a conversation about how the disability community has advanced technology which has benefited everyone and if you're using an iPhone especially you! Think 'Siri' The forerunner for text-to-speech software was developed by a Silicon Valley inventor in association with the Natio...

Believing she had Gastro, 23 year old Jade Harrington was reluctant to go to hospital, but as her symptoms got worse she was directed through to Emergency and placed in an induced coma for 9 days from Septic shock. Jade decided to have her feet amputated below the knee after realising she was watching them slowly "die" in front of her. Jade takes the title of "Newest guest to the disability commun...

After attending the Sydney 2000 Paralympics there was no turning back for Sarah Rose, she had found her passion in swimming, a place that created an even playing field in a world that didn’t present her with the same opportunities as everyone else. Sarah, who is four foot two, describes how swimming gave her a sense of purpose at a time when she didn't think she should be "proud" of her disability...

Alison's life changed overnight when she couldn't feel anything from the waist down. After being diagnosed with a 'bad cold', her symptoms became worst, soon discovering she had Transverse Myelitis, 'an inflammatory disease of the Spinal Cord'. With Alison now to become a full time Wheelchair user, it presented an opportunity to reflect on her career as a nurse and broaden her perspective of what...

Where's somewhere overseas that surprised you with their level of accessibility? Also comment on our Instagram where your fav accessible spots in Australia are.   Watch this episode with captions on our YouTube Page: https://youtu.be/uTecKWFhAvY Check out the new 11 part podcast series about Accessible Tourism: 'Accessed That' https://www.queensland.com/au/en/things-to-do/traveller/accessibility/a...

2 in 5 women with disability in Australia have experienced physical/domestic violence after the age of 15. That's 1.2 Million Australian's with disability who don't have the correct resources or support to get the help that they need compared with 1.7 million without. Founder of 'Sitting Low, Reaching High' and disability advocate Mel Harrison helped a service open the first refuge for women in Ne...

What if you could choose not to impart a hereditary condition to your newborn before they were born. Would you take that option? Pre-implantation genetic testing (PGT) is a technique  used to test embryos for known genetic conditions or chromosomal abnormalities.  From physical health conditions all the way to mental health, Dylan and Angus are presented which two unique cases of a new IVF program...

Jacob Darkin went to impress his girlfriend by doing a front flip. Opening his eyes he realised he would be spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair. This interview catches Dylan Alcott and Angus O'Loughlin off guard in a few moments none more so when Jacob revealed the age of his accident.  Join us this week for a fascinating look into the life of an able-bodied father adjusting to life rais...

"Why the Shift 20 Initiative would have changed my life" - Dylan Alcott Growing up, one thing I struggled with when I turned on the TV, the radio, or picked up the newspaper, was that I didn’t see or hear anybody like me. I saw non-disabled people. The only time I saw people with disability was as a result of a tragic car accident – the person looking sad and helpless in a wheelchair, deterring yo...

Rory Douglas came back from a holiday in QLD with his partner and two teenage boys when a headache on his arrival back home in Melbourne went from an ear infection to Meningitis to collapsing and being found unresponsive. Three weeks later he woke from a coma blind with no perception of light and shade and ten years on joined Dylan Alcott and Angus O'Loughlin on the ListenABLE podcast to speak abo...

On May 25th Zoe sent a DM to the ListenABLE Podcast instagram "Just wanted to say that something Angus said on a podcast a long time ago had such a profound impact on me" The rest of the message brings Angus to tears in this Bonus Episode of the podcast.   Thanks to Zoe for being so vulnerable with us in sharing her story and if you want to follow the wonderful journey of their family her instagra...

You know you're going to have fun when your guests profile on Instagram reads "I'm not drunk, I have cerebral palsy" Bridie McKim walks with a "swag" onto TV sets but walks away from it leaving an incredible body of work and changed perceptions of disability. A NIDA taught actor and advocate Bridie dreams to see disability become the norm on our screens and to even feel the absence of disability l...

What are your thoughts on 'Temporary Disability'? Please let us know in your thoughts on our social posts across Instagram and Facebook Email us your questions about disability: ListenABLE@fromyourpocket.com.au Watch this episode captioned on our YouTube: https://youtu.be/a2Kr0mQCQhQ Join the 10,000+ legends on Instagram: @ListenABLE_ Podcast https://www.instagram.com/listenable_podcast/ Grab our...

After having his leg amputated due to cancer, James Parr had to first cope with his own internalised ableism before changing the perceptions of his friends and his ever-expanding social communities. This included a recent Instagram post involving being asked to travel to Paris to meet a person with a fetish for amputees. James challenged those who responded to the post "Gross" as they weren't sayi...

Today’s Bonusode guests have stepped into the future of Disability and Politics as they report their first hand experience of the 16th Session of the United Nations State Parties as young Australians living with Disabilities. Speaking with Charlotte Young and Justin Hill, who both gave speeches at the event in June of this year, Dylan Alcott and Angus O'Loughlin discuss what they believe the gover...