17 December 2024
PWDA members are the heart and soul of our organisation. We encourage all people with disability, residing in Australia to join our community of thousands of people with disability across Australia.
Today we introduce you to one of our members, Mr River Night. River is a proud father, husband, carer, professional, advocate and adult living with disability.
We recently asked River a few questions about his life, advocacy work and why he became a PWDA member.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I grew up with ASD, ADD, learning disorders and a neurodivergent brain that felt like it didn’t fit as well, plus Tourette’s later in life. In primary school, I was the typical kid who was sent out of class almost daily. I still managed to get good grades if I felt like working, which annoyed my teachers. During my childhood, my family had lots of foster kids at different times, and we moved all over the east coast constantly.
Launching into the workforce one of my first jobs was working at a camp for kids with ADHD. I had a great time, and I didn’t see why the other staff found it so hard and were shattered by the end of the camp.
At university I studied a bunch of things including special education, psychology, business and biomedical science. I ended up in special education settings, teaching, working with behaviour units, and teaching in youth detention.
I have also worked in child safety, public guardian and safeguarding roles, mental health and forensic facilities, prisons, transition services, government agencies, as well as a range of non-government organisations, and I have served on several national charity boards.
When my son was born, I thought I’d try something more ‘9-5’ and applied for a job at the NDIS when it rolled out but was not successful in my application. I ended up working as a Child Safety Officer and with the Office of Public Guardian. I eventually started up my own organisation and I now deliver some of Australia’s largest disability and NDIS related events.
As a professional and sector advocate, I also get to do lots of media across radio, TV and print. Being the neurodivergent brain that I am, I feel far more comfortable on a stage talking to a thousand people, doing speeches, talkback, keynote addresses, teaching or running workshops than I do interacting 1:1, so I do as much of that as I can.
Why did you join PWDA?
PWDA represent my tribe and as a community of people with disability we need to stand together and work hard now more than ever.
PWDA inspire me and do so much to create that voice for our sector working to get things right.
I think it is so important to be a part of organisations like PWDA, if you have the capacity to, so that you can stay informed, join in as much as you can, contribute and be a part of the change that needs to happen.
Numbers matter and I strongly believe membership really shows our politicians and the rest of Australia that over 4.4 million Australian’s living with disability will not tolerate what we saw during the Royal Commission and that we are part of every community throughout this great country.
What advocacy areas are you passionate about?
I am passionate about systemic change. I love legislation and have a special interest in it, but I also feel strongly that the way we deliver services, and the way front line staff perform and do what they do through the NDIA is what we need to reform urgently.
I am appalled that we rarely see NDIS planning meetings conducted face to face with NDIS delegates, participants, their families and service providers in the one room creating a plan together. I am extremely disappointed that I see more and more automation, dehumanising and a lack of person-centred planning occurring.
None of this is rocket science but it is what would make a huge and immediate change in our sector if we could reintroduce the basics of professional practice and safeguarding.
Tell us about any of your recent advocacy work?
I have been on hundreds of items of radio, print and TV across Australia the last 3 years.
I have also had the chance to catch up with state and federal ministers around Australia and join in government consultation and codesign works.
It has been interesting to see the differences in each state and how different agencies interpret co-design. I see a huge variety including design behind closed doors and then presenting plans at meetings and calling it ‘co-design’ after decisions are made. I then see some people that say, “what do you think we should do and what do you think would work?”.
I’ve enjoyed being able to comment on and advocate around policy, especially talking to media in several states and nationally about the urgent need to reintroduce the basic safeguards we saw reduced and removed when NDIS rolled out.
My favourite advocacy and media work lately has been when I get to do talk back style radio and TV. I love being challenged by hard questions as I have a lot of experience and stories I can draw on to discuss a huge range of topics across our sector.
Do you have a favourite quote?
I love the slogan ‘Nothing About Us, Without Us’.
I am also often saying ‘it’s not rocket science’ a lot these days also. I think our policy makers forget they have millions of Australians that can help them get their decisions right if they go through peak advocacy bodies and talk to those impacted.
If our government engage with us and with organisations like PWDA they would save the hundreds of millions of dollars they spend on ‘expert consultants’ and probably get a faster and more accurate answer.
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