Making Our Voices Heard Podcast Series
Our four-part podcast series Making Our Voices Heard is now live!
Welcome to Making Our Voices Heard – a podcast series created by Women with Disabilities Victoria.
Throughout this series, you will hear directly from women and non-binary people in Australia about the ongoing physical and mental health impacts of the Covid 19 pandemic.
During the COVID-19 pandemic the voices of women, transgender people, gender diverse people and/or non-binary people with disabilities have been marginalised. This podcast centres those voices and highlights the systemic barriers that people with disabilities have faced during the pandemic.
Some of the topics that we’ll be discussing may be distressing. If you live in Australia and need to speak to somebody you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. If you are outside Australia, please access Safe in Our World numbers and links to mental health support services in your country.
Listen on Apple or Spotify
Episode 1
In this episode, disability advocates Jax Jackie Brown and Helen Freris discuss the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic on access to services for women, LGBTQIA+, queer and nonbinary people with disabilities.
Jax Jacki Brown (OAM) is a disability and LGBTQIA+ rights activist, writer, and educator. Jax runs their own business in LGBTQIA+ disability rights and inclusion where they provide guest speaking, education, workshops and training.
They are a member of the Victorian Disability Advisory Council and formally served on the Victorian Government’s LGBTI Taskforce Health and Human Services Working Group.
They are a member of the Ministerial Council on Women’s Equality and the Victorian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission’s Disability Reference Group where they advocated for LGBTQIA+ disability communities.
Jax is interested in how we can build resilience, pride and community for people with disabilities.
Helen Ferris has a professional background in community services, with qualifications in social work, community sector management and family dispute resolution. As health services program manager with Women with Disabilities Victoria, she oversees projects to support disability inclusive PVAW within the women’s health service sector to build greater inclusion in health practice.
Episode 2
In this episode, which is part 1 of a 2 part conversation, El Gibbs and Kate Ditchburn discuss the impact of Covid 19 on women, queer and nonbinary people with invisible disabilities. El Gibbs is a disabled person, and an award-winning writer with a focus on disability and social issues. El’s work has appeared in Meanjin, Overland, the Guardian, the ABC and Eureka Street. In 2020, she received the Lesley Hall Award for Lifetime Achievement in the National Disability Leadership Awards, and in 2021, the UTS Community Alumni of the Year award. Kate Ditchburn is a public health professional and women’s health advocate from Melbourne. With degrees in journalism and health promotion, Kate has worked in communications, community health and engagement. She is a member of the health experts group at Women With Disabilities Victoria and shares her experiences with chronic illness and mental health to start conversations and make change.Episode 3
In part 2 of this conversation, El Gibbs and Kate Ditchburn discuss the impact of Covid 19 on women, queer and nonbinary people with invisible disabilities.
El Gibbs is a disabled person, and an award-winning writer with a focus on disability and social issues. El’s work has appeared in Meanjin, Overland, the Guardian, the ABC and Eureka Street. In 2020, she received the Lesley Hall Award for Lifetime Achievement in the National Disability Leadership Awards, and in 2021, the UTS Community Alumni of the Year award.
Kate Ditchburn is a public health professional and women’s health advocate from Melbourne. With degrees in journalism and health promotion, Kate has worked in communications, community health and engagement. She is a member of the health experts group at Women With Disabilities Victoria and shares her experiences with chronic illness and mental health to start conversations and make change.
Episode 4
In this episode, Akii Ngo and Sam Gagliardi discuss decision making and the influence of women, queer and nonbinary people with disabilities in the response to Covid 19.
Akii Ngo is proud disabled, neurodivergent – Autistic & ADHD diagnosed, chronically ill and LGBTIQA+ queer trans non-binary person of colour who is deeply passionate about intersectionality, non-tokenistic representation, and co-design.
A fierce and international multi award-winning disability and gender equity advocate. Akii has over 12 years of extensive and varied experience in health promotion, community development, capacity building and engagement, including within mental wellbeing and suicide prevention. Akii is in the process of finishing a master’s in social work with all these intersections.
Samantha Gagliardi is a member of the Experts by Experience group at Women with Disabilities Victoria. She is a passionate advocate who believes that everybody deserves a fair go and the right to have their voices heard. Sam uses her lived experience as a woman with a disability to provide consultation and support to improve the lives of others who have been marginalised.