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Inform Podcast
Inform Podcast is a monthly conversation for people with disabilities, featuring people with disabilities. We ask for advice on all the big topics, from finding work to changing careers, relationships, moving house, dating, playing sport, finding a hobby, caring for pets, navigating the NDIS and more. We also speak with industry experts and other organisations doing good work in the disability space in Australia.
Have you got an idea for a story? Or would you like the opportunity to make your voice heard? We’d love to hear from you! Pitch your idea to us at [email protected].
Episode 17: The Complaints Resolution and Referral Service
In this episode of Inform, we look at the Complaints Resolution and Referral Service or CRRS, a free service for people with disability who are users of a disability employment services, Australian disability enterprises and advocacy services.
Episode 16: Disability Royal Commission advocacy and counselling supports
In this episode of Inform, we discuss the services provided by DANA – The Disability Advocacy Network of Australia and the Blue Knot Foundation in support of the Disability Royal Commission.
Episode 15: Disability Pride
In this episode, we hear from artist and disability culture activist, Larissa MacFarlane and 17-year-old Issy, who works for a youth disability organisation. Larissa and Issy share the story of their path to disability pride and what disability pride means to them.
Episode 14: The Employment Assistance Fund
In this episode, we discuss the Employment Assistance Fund. Administered by JobAccess, the Employment Assistance Fund provides financial help to eligible people with a disability to cover the costs of work related modifications and equipment.
Episode 13: Show Me Where It Hurts with Kylie Maslen
In this episode, we talk to Kylie Maslen, the author of Show Me Where It Hurts: Living With Invisible Illness, a collection of autobiographical essays that explores how living with chronic pain, invisible illness and disability impacts Kylie’s work, relationships and day-to-day life.
Episode 12: Job Access
In episode 12, we explore Job Access, the national hub for workplace and employment information for people with disability, employers and service providers. We speak with Daniel Valiente-Riedl, the general manager of Job Access. He joins us to explain the services Job Access offer and how you can access them.
Episode 11: Talking About Your Disability At Work
In episode 11, we discuss talking about your disability at work with Fiona Murphy, a deaf writer and physiotherapist about her experience and Daniel Valiente-Riedl, the general manager of Job Access. We explore why you might want to talk about your disability and what your legal obligations are plus we have some great advice for having those conversations.
Episode 10: Self Advocacy
In episode 10, we discuss self-advocacy with Colin Hiscoe, the president of Reinforce and Sue Smith from the Self Advocacy Resource Unit. We explore the history of self-advocacy, discuss why self-advocacy is so important and we have some great advice for anyone looking to explore self-advocacy.
Episode 9: Supported Decision Making
In episode 9, we discuss Supported Decision Making with Dr Jo Watson, a speech pathologist and senior lecturer at Deakin University. Dr Watson explains what supported decision making is, how the process works and why circles of support are so important .
Regional and Rural Australia: Series 02, Episode 04 Podcast
In episode four, we spoke with David Timms. David is a complete spinal cord paraplegic. He lives in regional Victoria, about two hours north of Melbourne. Also, in this episode, we speak with Bev Watson, a Rural Access Worker for a regional shire in Western Victoria. Bev works to make her community a more accessible and inclusive space. She has some practical advice for anyone wanting to engage more with their regional community.
Higher Education: Series 02, Episode 03 Podcast
In episode three, we speak with Dr Ben Whitburn who lectures in inclusive education at Deakin University but also has first hand experience in what it means to pursue higher education when you have a disability. Also in this episode we speak with Rick Boffa, the manager of equitable learning services at RMIT University. Rick also has some advice for anyone thinking of heading to university.
Assistive Technology: Series 02, Episode 02 Podcast
In episode two, we speak with Judi Potts who uses range of assistive technology in her day-to-day life that has had a significant impact on her life. Also in this episode we speak with senior lecturer at Deakin University, Dr Kate Anderson who has some advice for anyone looking to learn more about the kinds of assistive technology available to them.
Advocating for accessibility: Series 02, Episode 01 Podcast
In episode one, we speak with Daniel, a lawyer who has experience advocating for his own accessibility. For Daniel, accessibility is about welcoming people in. He discusses how his vision impairment impacts his experience navigating the world and talks about what he did to advocate for his own accessibility in the workplace. He also has some tips and advice for anyone in a similar situation.
Wise Employment: Series 01, Episode 04 Podcast
Karen Walker from Wise Employment, a not-for-profit organisation and one of Australia’s leading disability employment services providers, discusses disability employment services. Karen explains the process of using a service, what Wise Employment provide and she shares some tips for figuring out what sort of work you want to do and some advice on job hunting.
Owning your future: Series 01, Episode 03 Podcast
Jarad McLoughlin will offer his advice for other people with disabilities who might be experiencing some stigmatisation and ableism at work. He will talk about how to include your disability in your resume and also offers some advice on how to bounce back if you’re rejected the first time. He also shares his story about working in the media, and his opinion on why disability representation in the media is important.
Starting your own business: Series 01, Episode 02 Podcast
Robbie Peime is ready to offer his advice for other people with disabilities who might be at a cross-roads in their career. He talks about how to start a business and how to refocus if your ‘plan A’ doesn’t work out. He also shares his story about his accident, and how this has influenced his future.
Job seeking with a disability: Series 01, Episode 01 Podcast
Antonio Vecchio offers his advice for other people with disabilities who might be searching for work. He talks about how to include your disability in your resume and how to start thinking about what you want to do with your life. He also shares his story about retraining after his accident, working in the mental health and addiction space and what it was like going back to study as a mature-age student.
Would you like to contribute to inform?
If you are interested in writing for Inform we want to hear from you! Contact our team and we can get in touch on how you can be included in future issues.