It’s been said that the stories we tell shape the world we live in.

The Speak My Language (Disability) Program harnesses the power of storytelling to share what it means to live well with a disability.

Funded by Commonwealth Department of Social Services, the program is being led by the Ethnic Communities’ Council of New South Wales and is being delivered in partnership with Gadigal Information Service – Koori Radio.

Launched during Harmony Week 2024 on Koori Radio, the Speak My Language program shared six stories from six different people living well with a disability. 

Through lived experience, each person interviewed shares the accessible and inclusive opportunities, activities and experiences available to anyone, whether they have NDIS funding or not. 

As 38% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are living with disability (ABS 2019), these stories are valuable resources for the community to connect with mainstream experiences that support wellbeing. 

Speak My Language (Disability) is a part of a broader national initiative to share diverse voices and perspectives about living well with a disability. It has produced more than 470 stories in 24 languages other than English, and is proudly delivered via an historic partnership between all State and Territory Ethnic and Multicultural Communities’ Councils across Australia.

Join Chill Cheney, the host of Koori Radio’s Indij Hip Hop Show, as he chats with members of our community about what it truly means to thrive with a disability, exploring how individuals navigate and excel in a world that may not always embrace them with open arms.

Chill Cheney – Koori Radio’s Indij Hip Hop host (tune in to his show Wednesdays 8pm)

Episodes 

Brian Edwards 

Brian Edwards is a proud Wiradjuri man who became blind shortly after turning eighteen. He has worked as a disability advocate with Absec and the NDIS. Before becoming blind, he played rugby league for over a decade with the Redfern All Blacks. In this interview, Brian shares how he maintains his love for sport with Blind Cricket and now enjoys performing as a DJ. 

Cass Best 

Cass Best is a proud Gay Kamilaroi Mari from Gunnedah. Cass is a non-binary Mari living with disability. Cass is a director of BlaQ and is currently the Aboriginal Community Development Officer for SSI. Much of Cass’ advocacy focuses on intersectionality, working to create inclusive spaces for mob who are queer and live with disabilities. In this interview, Cass talks about how advocacy has not only improved their wellbeing, but has also improved inclusion and accessibility for others. 

Dr Scott Avery

Dr Scott Avery is descendant from the Worimi people and is the Research and Policy Director at the First Peoples Disability Network (Australia). He is a leading scholar working in Indigenous disability, undertaking a PhD at the University of Technology Sydney on social inclusion and disability in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. He talks about the importance of accessibility and inclusion in education. His academic work is strengthened through his lived experience as a deaf person. 

Kerri Shying 

Kerri Shying is a poet of Chinese, Australian and Wiradjuri heritage, and is known for her bilingual pocketbook of poems  “sing out when you want me”, 2017,  “Elevensies”, 2018 and “Knitting Mangrove Roots” 2019. Based in Newcastle, Kerri co-covenes a bi-monthly online disability peer writing workshop group named Write Up. Kerri herself lives with disability and understands the importance of creating inclusive community spaces on and offline.

Mat Fink

Gomoroi man Mat Fink has always been involved in Sydney’s art scene, first as a graffiti artist, and now as a tattooist. His Newtown based studio, Something Original, speaks to his own creative character. Diagnosed later in life with ADHD and Autism, Mat speaks about the neurodivergent experience and how it impacted his worldview.

John Gilroy 

Professor John Gilroy is a Yuin man from the NSW South Coast and is a professor of Indigenous health and disability. For most of his life, John has worked in disability and ageing research and community development with Aboriginal communities, government, and non-government stakeholders. He is the first person to create Indigenous research methodologies in disability research. John is passionate about Aboriginal owned and driven research as means to influence policy and speaks on the important role of Aboriginal academia. 

Khi-Lee Thorpe – Program Manager- Koori Radio

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