Headshot of a woman with long dark hair seated in a wheelchair, smiling off camera.

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ChatAbility Episode one

Community Leaders

Celebrating Community

Building Community

ChatAbility

Partner Stories

Our Team

Three men are seated on chairs in an office, in front of computers, They are all looking at the camera and smiling

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Hibi App Team

Behind each child with complex needs, is a family working hard to manage, coordinate and navigate their care. A never-ending paper trail of medical documents, prescriptions, therapies and endless nights Google-ing for information.
If only there was a centralised place where all this information could be stored, ready to share with the appropriate people when needed.
Well, the good news there is!
We recently had the pleasure of meeting the co-founder of Hibi, Sam Milliken-Smith, who told us all about their awesome app that is revolutionising the way parents manage their child’s care information.
“We built Hibi having ourselves seen how fragmented and complex care systems can be for families. We know just how overwhelming it is to manage, coordinate and navigate care,” Sam explains.
Hibi is a free app that helps parents and carers offload some of the admin that comes with caring for a child with disability. That means you can have all of your child&#8217;s key information, all in one place – at your fingertips.
Sam says he had personally experienced the immense complexity parents encounter while supporting children with additional needs. Determined to make a difference, Sam built Hibi together with his co-founder Uzay Macar.
<blockquote>“We wanted to build something that could provide the tools and resources that families need to coordinate their child’s care.”</blockquote>
Hibi means that you can forget having to remember your child’s medications and dosing during an emergency, and you no longer need to recite their diagnosis story every time you see a new specialist.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-2121" src="https://wp.carersolutions.com.au/app/uploads/2024/04/Hibi-app-212.jpg" alt="" width="555" height="555" srcset="https://wp.carersolutions.com.au/app/uploads/2024/04/Hibi-app-212.jpg 1080w, https://wp.carersolutions.com.au/app/uploads/2024/04/Hibi-app-212-600x600.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 555px) 100vw, 555px" />
With features including a shareable care passport, journal and information trackers, Hibi allows multiple carers to stay across your child’s supports, medications, appointments, symptoms and more. It also provides access to expert advice, guidance, and a supportive community of fellow parents.
Sam recently was bestowed the honour of being invited by the UK Prime Minister to 10 Downing Street in London, to share the incredible work of the Hibi team in supporting caregiving through technology.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-2119" src="https://wp.carersolutions.com.au/app/uploads/2024/04/Hibi-Number-10-Downing.jpg" alt="Sam is standing in front of number 10 Downing Street in London." width="612" height="408" srcset="https://wp.carersolutions.com.au/app/uploads/2024/04/Hibi-Number-10-Downing.jpg 1080w, https://wp.carersolutions.com.au/app/uploads/2024/04/Hibi-Number-10-Downing-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 612px) 100vw, 612px" />
We think Hibi is so much more than an app and we encourage you to check it out for yourselves. For more info, go to <a href="https://hibi.health/">hibi.health</a>

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JAM the Label was born from an idea of two Occupational Therapists and Disability Support Workers Emma Clegg and Molly Rogers, to “shake up the mainstream fashion industry”.
It was through working with two of their favourite clients, Jack and Maddie, that they realised just how difficult and uncomfortable getting dressed was for them both.
“We looked around for more suitable clothing options and quickly found that whatever was comfortable and easy &#8211; for them and us &#8211; was not cool or suited towards young people wanting to express themselves through their fashion choices,” co-founder Emma explains.
Emma and Molly recognised that people with disability, who make up 15-20 per cent of the population, had been excluded from mainstream fashion. So, it became their mission to build an adaptive clothing brand that would enable young people to express themselves through their fashion.
Now celebrating their fifth birthday, Emma and Molly reflect on just how far JAM has come in such a relatively short period of time.
<blockquote>“There have been some really cool moments for us that at the time just felt surreal, but being able to reflect on them now makes us very proud.”</blockquote>
You may have seen the adaptive fashion label make headlines at last year’s Australian Fashion Week, when disability advocate Chloé Hayden, wore the iconic “Fix The System, Not Me” trench in Australia’s first ever adaptive fashion runway.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-2081 alignright" src="https://wp.carersolutions.com.au/app/uploads/2024/03/News-Events-1080-x-720-11-3.jpg" alt="Australian Fashion Week Adaptive Fashion Runway" width="366" height="244" srcset="https://wp.carersolutions.com.au/app/uploads/2024/03/News-Events-1080-x-720-11-3.jpg 1080w, https://wp.carersolutions.com.au/app/uploads/2024/03/News-Events-1080-x-720-11-3-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 366px) 100vw, 366px" />
Emma also says launching on Australian online fashion retailer The ICONIC as part of their &#8216;Adaptive Edit&#8217;, has been a memorable and significant achievement for the duo and their label.
“We often reflect on our greatest achievements being the impact we&#8217;ve been able to have on our customers. Receiving feedback or product reviews on how JAM has helped an individual&#8217;s day to day life or given them the dignity and confidence they deserve from their clothing is what we are most proud of. “
As Emma looks to the future, she says she hopes that JAM can lead by example and show how to include people with disability in an authentic and meaningful way.
“In the next 5 years we would love to see &#8216;Adaptive Clothing&#8217; become a fashion category that enters the mainstream retail industry and become a widely known term just like &#8216;Maternity Wear&#8217;.
We&#8217;d love to see it too, and have no doubt that Emma, Molly and the JAM team can make that vison a reality!
<a href="https://jamthelabel.com/">You can check out their awesome range of products here.</a>

On the left, a woman is wearing a white tshirt with the word JAM written on the front. She has long blonde hair. To her right, is a woman wearing a khaki shirt, and has short dark brown hair. Both women are smiling at the camera.

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We love celebrating our community &#8211; especially our Partners like Rosie Treasure, who is achieving great things and pursing her passion.
Rosie, 20, lives on a small farm in Tasmania with her mum and brother, where she has nurtured her artistic talent, finding inspiration from her everyday life.
“My animals are everywhere &#8211; a goat on the car, a chicken in house, a pony out the window and so many dogs sleeping under the table. The land is always changing from the different seasons and different light, and I&#8217;ve spent a lot of time out in the paddocks with sheep and cattle,“ she explains.
Rosie’s paintings are a bold but fun reflection of her beautiful environment, and she says she has been painting since she was in nappies.
<blockquote>“Mum would put me under a willow tree on the farm with paint and paper and let me go for it.”</blockquote>
Rosie is hosting her third art exhibition on 14 February 2024, called <a href="https://rosietreasureart.com/news/tasmanian-produced-collective-and-sprout-tasmania-exhibit/">‘Characters of the Farm’</a> in recognition of National Regenerative Agriculture Day.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-2031 alignleft" src="https://wp.carersolutions.com.au/app/uploads/2024/02/News-Events-1080-x-720-11-2.jpg" alt="Rosie painting" width="326" height="217" srcset="https://wp.carersolutions.com.au/app/uploads/2024/02/News-Events-1080-x-720-11-2.jpg 1080w, https://wp.carersolutions.com.au/app/uploads/2024/02/News-Events-1080-x-720-11-2-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 326px) 100vw, 326px" />
At this ‘paddock-to-paint’ event, she will be launching six new paintings, all celebrating the love of her rural life.
Rosie acknowledges that she wouldn’t be able to put on these exhibitions and promote her artwork, if it wasn’t for the support of her community.
“Artists need support &#8211; whether you have &#8216;normal&#8217; ability or disability &#8211; but I&#8217;m lucky because I have my creative mum, my former high school teacher mentoring me, and support from lots of people around me,” she says.
The event will also raise money for <a href="https://www.rdatas.org.au/">Riding for the Disabled</a> and raise awareness about being kind to animals and kind to the soil.
Rosie encourages other people with disability to pursue their passions.
“Look away from what everybody else says or does and look out into the world and just do it. Do what makes you happy. “
You can check out Rosie’s artwork and events on her <a href="https://rosietreasureart.com/">website</a>.

Rosiet is standing to an art easel which holds a painting on a canvas. She is wearing a bright pink short and a black apron and is smiling at the camera.

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A little boy is sitting on his mums lap. She has with shoulder length blonde hair and wearing a white tshirt. They are sitting outside on a patio.

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Melanie and Arlo

Melanie Dimmitt is a busy woman who has numerous strings to her bow. She’s a freelance journalist, author, editor and broadcaster, but her most important role to date, is being a mum of two children, Arlo and Odette.
Her son Arlo was diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy when he was just six months old. Melanie and her partner were understandably fearful about what his, and their future would look like.
They, like many other parents of children with disability, desperately sought connection with others who had been through the trials and tribulations of raising a child with a disability.
While Melanie’s pathway into parenthood had taken an unexpected turn, the experiences on her journey of parenting a child with a disability inspired her to share her thoughts and experiences with other parents traversing the same fears and challenges.
So in 2019, she launched her debut book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Special-Antidotes-obsessions-childs-disability/dp/1925384683/ref=asc_df_1925384683/?hvadid=378621448074&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvdvcmdl=&amp;hvlocint=&amp;hvlocphy=9071752&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvpone=&amp;hvpos=&amp;hvptwo=&amp;hvqmt=&amp;hvrand=670428610296438773&amp;hvtargid=pla-818396607985&amp;linkCode=df0&amp;psc=1&amp;tag=googleshopdsk-22">Special: Antidotes to the obsessions that come with a child’s disability</a>,
As if writing a book wasn’t enough for this busy mum, Melanie also hosts the <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/ndis-know-how/id1572588958">NDIS Know-how</a> podcast series that offers tips and tools to parents on how to successfully navigate the NDIS and get the most of their NDIS plan funding.
She has most recently created another disability podcast series called <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/tubie-talks/id1723261225">Tubie Talks</a> that celebrates the lives of people and families who tube-feed.
In 2021, Melanie was introduced to the world of tube-feeding when Arlo had a gastrostomy tube inserted after an x-ray found that he was accidently inhaling small amounts of whenever he ate or drank. As a result, he needed to be tube-fed.
It was this personal experience of tube-feeding that led her to launch <a href="https://www.theblendmag.com/">The Blend</a> in 2022. The Blend is an annual lifestyle magazine designed to inform and inspire the tube-feeding community, especially ‘tubie newbies’ or people who are otherwise new to the world of tube-feeding.
<a href="https://feedingtubeaware.com.au/">Feeding Tube Awareness Week</a> is celebrated nationally every February and aims to raise awareness about tube feeding and unite the community.
<h3>In recognition of Feeding Tube awareness Week 2024, Melanie shares her thoughts and personal insights with us on the fascinating world of tube-feeding.</h3>
Why is Feeding Tube Awareness Week so important?
Because many people aren’t aware of what feeding tubes are. They’re also not aware of the breadth and diversity of the many people and families who rely on tube-feeding. I certainly wasn’t before my son Arlo had his gastrostomy tube inserted. Something that, at the time, I thought was a tragedy.
Your average punter will likely only see a feeding tube attached to a sick-looking kid on a poster in a hospital. You might see a person tube-feeding as part of an ad from a charity fundraiser or, as we’ve watched on national television, a scary anti-smoking campaign.
Before we know better, feeding tubes are something we associate with sickness, suffering and palliative care, but this doesn’t paint the full picture of our diverse – and largely thriving – community.
What do you think is one of the greatest misconceptions people have about tube-feeding?
That it’s a tragedy (like I thought it was). While a feeding tube will usually come as a result of health challenges, it’s not the bad guy. Feeding tubes are the heroes of so many people’s stories. Would a lot of us in the feeding-tube community rather not need to tube-feed, or tube-feed our loved ones? Of course. But by golly are we grateful for these lifesaving devices.
What would you say to a parent or a person who is commencing their tube-feeding journey?
Find us! It might feel like you’re the only parent or person going through what can be a very tough lifestyle adjustment, but I promise, you’re in very good company. The online tube-feeding community is the most welcoming and helpful bunch I’ve ever encountered.
Knowing what you know now, is there any advice you would give yourself back when Arlo was a ‘tubie newbie’?
I wish I could tell myself what another parent, who’d been doing this thing for a while, told me on Facebook once we were a couple of months (and much, much vomiting) into Arlo’s tube-feeding journey. That mum’s name is Eron, and she said to me:
“Melanie, from one PEG mum to another, you’re not going to get the formula right. Don’t be scared to try blended. It doesn’t have to be hard. Take the food Arlo was eating before a tube, blend that up with liquid to a milkshake texture and syringe that through as a starting point. Unless he has specific dietary needs, it doesn’t have to be rocket science.”
Tube feeding is different for everyone. And getting it right can take a bit of trial and error and a lot of trusting your gut.
There are countless people all over the world, Arlo included, living full and healthy lives because of their feeding tube. And we need more awareness around this cohort.

Melanie is wearing a grey jumper and is looking at the camera, resting her head on her hand.

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Two young women push two young boys on bikes.

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Louise Georgoa and kids

Photo of a young woman and a boy posing in front of a red car. The boy is sitting on a blue bike and dressed in a school uniform. The young woman crouches next to him and wears grey tshirt and shorts.

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Georgia and Ethan

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Australia is home to many popular musical festivals which is a rite of passage for so many, but sadly not everyone is able to fully access and enjoy such events.
Thanks to the awesome team at All Access Pass, they have designed a service that helps support people with disability to attend and participate in cultural, community and music events and festivals around Australia.
They identify and assess various events and festivals against criteria that consider the accessibility and inclusion capabilities of the event and its organisers, as well as identify any potential risks.
All Access Pass is launching its first Festival Access program with the Woodford Folk Festival as their first event.
The Festival runs starts on the 26th of December and runs through to the 2nd of January. It’s an annual music and cultural festival held near the semi-rural town of Woodford, 72 km north of Brisbane.
More than 2,000 local, national and international, artists, musicians and presenters put on over 438 acts to an estimated audience of 132,000 people.
Jason Clarke, All Access Pass Crew Director, says it’s great to be able to offer a truly accessible and inclusive festival camping experience.
<blockquote>“We didn’t want to create festivals that were disabled-centric, we wanted to ensure that all festivals were truly accessible.”</blockquote>
Jason and the team take care of everything including transport to and from the camp site &#8211; which includes a sensory tent, a support crew, an onsite nurse, as well three meals a day.
&#8220;There are 1:1 and 1:2 support options for either three, five or seven nights of camping.&#8221; Jason explains
“There will also be onsite end-to-end hoist facilities for showering and toilets as well as accessible tents. We can match you with a support worker or participants have the option of bringing along their own support workers as well”
The program is open to ages 18 and over and for those who have an NDIS plan and meet the eligibility criteria. A small personal co-payment is required as a deposit to confirm the event ticket, $150 for seven days, $110 for five days and $75 for three days.
To get your very own access pass, you must complete an <a href="https://forms.office.com/r/jg0ZjB0Hye">expression of interest</a> and select the program event and dates you are interested in.
You can call the friendly All Access Pass team on on 0493 873 410 or email hello@allaccesspass.au to find out more!
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Michael is seated in a recumbent bike, and his support worker Kevin is standing next to him on the right

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Kevin is on the left and Michael is on the right. They are both sitting in recumbent bikes, outdoors and are both smiling at the camera.

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A young woman is happy making hand-crafted cards. she has short hair, glasses and a pink jacket.

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Ash is wearing dark rimmed glasses and a black top. She is smiling and looking off to the side

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ChatAbility Episode 1: Disability Inclusion

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