Organisations
Sharon Granek is Disability Liaison Officer for Safe Steps. Safe Steps organises emergency services to those feeling domestic violence. As the Disability Liaison Officer, Sharon provides the necessary understanding for those with disability who contact the service. Women with disabilities in particular are abused at a much higher level than those without and for more extended periods of time overall.
Yannoula Michaels is the chairperson for the Adelaide organisation Families4Families which is a volunteer based peer support network of those who have experienced brain injury and their families. Via providing a support line to help, functions, workshops and weekly activities their organisation is giving back to the Adelaidean brain injured population. Their mission is to help people help themselves.
Dr Kate Gould is a clinical psychologist researching those whose behaviour has changed following an injury. Positive Behaviour Support Principles are used to inform a therapy called PBS+. Another area she looks into involves those with brain injury caught up in Cyber and Romance scams.
We speak about how Australia is leading the way in utilising those with lived experience to inform research.
Jemma Keeves from Curtin University is a Research Fellow specialising in running the Australian Mild Traumatic Brain Injury study. Otherwise known as Concussion, Mild Traumatic Brain Injury is experiencing a swell in awareness as industries such as the Sports complex finally admit to the life changing effects of repeated blows to the head. There are some very exciting studies occurring into this injury.
Alex Killey represents the On Call Group Australia that provides services in Queensland, Victoria and also SA where they are known as SA Care. Giving many options for support of Personal Care, Shopping and Accommodations, their Allied Health provisions are great too. Some great news for people over 65 who are not on the NDIS means they can apply for service supports too.
Margaret Mealings, Doctor of Speech Pathology at Epworth Hospital in Richmond tells us about her career in the modality. Speech Pathology includes many areas of recovery such as social interactions and coping with noise and fatigue and it also involves the family of the affected. The therapy is only around 100 years old and is evolving constantly alongside the need to think creatively in order to serve the clients, each with their individual needs.
Phil Heuzenroeder is a generous and empowering arts facilitator. His strog belief in social justice and human development drives his work with the disabled artists of Wild Of Heart’. His values are reflected in directorship of ‘Melbourne Mass Gospel Choir’ that continues to change lives every day.
Wendy Haecker came through New Zealand from work with Guide Dogs after a career in Wildlife Management in the US. Now Team Leader for Client Services of Guide Dogs Victoria, her management of a wide scope of areas of the process of eventually teaming up a service animal with a disabled user gives a great objective view of the whole organisational operation.
Heath Murphy, a retired paramedic, speaks of his new career found in support work. As one of Kevin Boyce’s assistants, we speak of what it is like to carry out this work especially in a regional township and how the work contributes to his sense of self and that of his community.
Poppy Egan is the organisations first manager with lived experience. Though Brain Injury Matters has always been ‘member led’, to have a survivor responsible for the organisation is a boon indeed. She speaks about the formation of a women’s group to counter in a sector where men are over represented.
Nigel Munt (Senior Lawyer) from Aussie Injury Lawyers gives legal tips and tells stories of compensation claims. Informing people about the existence of Total Permanent Disability (TPD) claims present in anyone’s Superannuation, insuring against serious injury, is a focus for his company.
Deborah Byrne, Executive Director of Brain Injury Association of Tasmania talks about her long involvement with the organisation together with initiatives such as the life changing National Assistance Card.
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