New voices rise up to represent residents of all abilities

FOUR fresh faces have joined the Surf Coast Shire’s All Abilities Advisory Committee (AAAC) after 25 people responded to a call for expressions of interest.

The successful applicants were Courtney Griffen, Lauren Smith and Kate Toholka, from Torquay, as well as Deans Marsh resident Thomas Byrnes.

Each will serve a three-year term and were selected based on lived experience, a strong connection to the shire and a passion to improve access and inclusion for people with a disability on the Surf Coast.

AAAC co-chair Richard Porter said the committee had 14 members and it was important to have representation from people living with a disability.

“We’ve always had a mix of people on the committee, but we wanted lived experience,” Mr Porter said.

“It means new faces, new ideas and new thoughts. Walking down the street is not easy for some individuals and they share those experiences with the committee.”

The new members are:

Courtney Griffen, a social worker who lives with multiple sclerosis and wants to create awareness about things able-bodied people don’t need to worry about such as disabled parking, footpaths and curbs, and opening and closing doors.

Kate Toholka is a business analyst at the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) who lives with profound hearing loss, wearing hearing aids since childhood.

Oncology nurse Lauren Smith is a carer to her autistic son and is the founder of Surf Coast Autism Group, a local support group for carers of children with autism.

Thomas Byrnes who has lived experience with neurodiversity, is studying Auslan and has an interest in IT and climate change.

The AAAC meets six times a year and is made up of community members, representatives from service organisations, council officers, and a councillor representative. Find out more by visiting surfcoast.vic.gov.au or call 5261 0600.

To read more about Kate Toholka’s journey through life with a hearing impairment turn to the Times Living section.