Lunch celebrates inclusion and lived experience

LEISURE Networks’ annual International Day of People with Disability celebration brought more than 250 people together last week for a lunchtime event shaped directly by lived experience.

Presented in partnership with The Gordon, the gathering brought together community members, business leaders and government representatives to recognise the leadership, creativity and contribution of people with disability across the region.

This year’s event was co-designed by people with disability, including guest speaker Rhiannon Tracey, MC Leah Alstin, and contributors Travis Zimmer and Ainslee Hooper.

Their guidance informed every aspect of the day, from shifting the event to a lunchtime start to practical adjustments such as wider table spacing, handheld meals, straws, a Reset Zone, and the addition of Auslan interpreters alongside closed captioning.

Tracey, the event’s keynote speaker and founder of The Next Step Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Centre, shared her story of rebuilding life after a spinal cord injury at age 20 and the lessons learned through advocacy and entrepreneurship.

“Everyone deserves a seat at the table,” she said, urging attendees to ask questions, learn from lived experience and support inclusion in tangible ways.

Tracey also joined Alstin and Zimmer for a “You Can Ask That!” panel, which allowed attendees to ask questions about life with disability.

The Gordon’s 2025 Student of the Year, Alicia Martin, also spoke, describing her path back to study following trauma, burnout and an ADHD diagnosis.

“My teachers saw me, not the injury, not the mask, they saw the potential I didn’t yet see in myself,” she said.

Martin, who enrolled in an Advanced Diploma of Building Design, also reflected on her role in The Gordon’s Centre of Excellence co-creator team.

“As co-creators, we aren’t just giving feedback. We are shaping a new Centre of Excellence from the ground up and embedding inclusion into the system,” she said.

A performance of Don’t Rain on My Parade by Leisure Networks’ Glee Choir conductor Ashlea Pyke provided one of the afternoon’s standout moments.

The funds raised from this year’s event will support Parrell Sports, a Leisure Networks program offering inclusive wheelchair sports for both disabled and able-bodied participants.

Leisure Networks chief executive, David Meade, said the day underscored the impact of inclusion led by lived experience.

“This lunch demonstrated what inclusion looks like when lived experience leads,” he said.

“Every person was seen, heard, and valued. Belonging does not happen by chance; it happens because we choose it.”