At Sunday 1st February’s 4th Physical Disability Awareness Day’s DisabiliTEA, our fabulous line up of guest speakers shared their stories around the theme of #CreativePossibilities – this year’s theme.
Tony Dee (aka Tony Doevendans) is a singer and performer adored around the world for his velvet voice, swinging tunes and gentle love songs from the early jazz days to the 1950’s and beyond.
Tony was born with Spina Bifida and is a full time wheelchair user. He is passionate about living life to the full.
As an organisation we are incredibly grateful to have had Tony speak at Physical Disability Awareness Day 2026 and for him sharing his story. Thank you Tony.
You can watch Tony’s talk on PDA’s YouTube channel, by going to:
Physical Disability Australia is committed to the work we do in ensuring people living with physical disabilities are supported and given a voice in the disability landscape.
In hand with this we believe that knowledge is power and that everyone has a story to tell.
Our posts highlight news and happenings that directly impact Australia‘s disability community and our blogs and webinars ensure that we as a community are informed, that ideas and experiences are shared and that we are all valued and heard.
Feedspot recently released its 35 Best Australian Disability Blogs and Websites and the PDA Team is absolutely wrapped that we were named in the Top 2 (https://blog.feedspot.com/australian_disability_blogs/) – having moved from an unlisted position in 2019 to #5 last year.
With our incredible blog contributors having their articles published on our website (https://www.pda.org.au/blog/) and covering an incredibly diverse range of topics, honest and frank conversations and subjects to educate, inform and spark discussions, we are incredibly proud and grateful for their role in this recognition.
Thank you to all of our bloggers for your efforts.
A big thank you too to all of you who have enjoyed reading our blogs and social posts, followed our social media, and viewed our webinars. PDA is here for you and we’re so happy to have you beside us in our journey to empower, represent, include and support our members and wider community.
If you have a blog that you would like us to feature on our blog page, please reach out to us at promotion@pda.org.au.
At Sunday 1st February’s 4th Physical Disability Awareness Day’s DisabiliTEA, we were once again graced with some incredible speakers who shared their stories around the theme of #CreativePossibilities.
Stephanie Dower is a hard hitter in film production and as an Access Coordinator in the media industry, and we were so fortunate (and grateful) to have her as one of our guests.
In her talk she spoke of the magic, affirmation and power of sharing stories and making people living with disability visible in the narratives and reflections of society.
Sharing her thoughts around the importance of storytelling, she spoke of the influence film and the arts carries in reframing how society sees people with disability – not just as a comprehensive view of everyone within society, but as a mirror to possibility, understanding and unity.
You can watch Stephanie’s talk on PDA’s YouTube channel, by going to:
Whilst you’re there, please subscribe.
A big thank you to Stephanie for joining us on the day and for sharing her success and Creative Possibilities.
Sunday 1st February 2026 marked the 4th Physical Disability Awareness Day, which was celebrated and recognised not only in Australia but internationally.
Physical Disability Australia hosted its ever-popular online DisabiliTEA, yet again showcasing and sharing the stories of four incredible guest speakers around this year’s theme of #CreativePossibilities.
Our Ambassador, Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM, was one of our guests and he spoke of the power of sharing stories in growing awareness of physical disability and the issues affecting our community.
You can watch Dinesh’s talk on PDA’s YouTube channel, by going to:
Whilst you’re there, please subscribe.
A big thank you to Dinesh for joining us on the day and his ongoing support of PDA and Australia’s disability community.
Australia’s Disability Representative Organisations (DROs) acknowledge an agreement has been reached between the Federal, State and Territory Governments regarding hospital funding and disability supports, including the Thriving Kids initiative, that will have implications for the supports people with disability have access to across their lifespan and across Australia.
You can read the full Joint Statement by going to:
Physical Disability Australia has put out a Joint Statement with fellow Disability Representative Organisations around the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026 (Cth) and the additional protections it introduces to address serious forms of hate and extremism in Australia.
Following the horrific event of 14 December 2025 targeting the Jewish community at Bondi beach, and in response to this abhorrent act of hate and antisemitism, the organisations listed below believe that this amended Bill will still not deliver comprehensive protection for minority groups – including people living with disability:
* Australian Autism Alliance
* Children and Young People with Disability Australia
On Sunday February 1st 2026, Physical Disability Australia (PDA) will be hosting the fourth Physical Disability Awareness Dayand you’re invited to join the celebrations.
Established by PDA in 2023 after seeing a gap in the awareness calendar for highlighting physical disabilities, this very special day brings attention to people living with physical disability, their contributions and the many conditions that fall under the physical disability umbrella.
The day also provides a wonderful opportunity for people to come together and be united in their support for Australia’s physical disability community.
PDA‘s Ambassador, Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM shared his commitment to raise the profile of the event. “Days like Physical Disability Awareness Day are important, because they connect the world to the journeys of people with physical disability. It’s how the world moves forward, to make a better life for everyone. However, storytelling is an important part of awareness. For people with disability, creative events is one way to tell stories, to bring awareness to the world, to create unity and inclusion.”
Our online DisabiliTEA event will once again be held, this time with a fun disability themed Bingo session (with some fantastic prizes) and some amazing guest speakers who will share their stories.
NSW/VIC/ACT/TAS 2pm
SA: 1.30pm
QLD: 1pm
NT: 12.30pm
WA: 11am
This year’s theme is “Creative Possibilities” (#CreativePossibilities) and will allow us to showcase some incredible people who have accomplished careers in the creative and artistic space (including literature, media production and performance), but also highlight everyone’s creative abilities – including generation of new, original and valuable ideas or solutions to find adaptable ways and thinking to solve problems or express themselves.
It is with great pleasure that we announce our speaker lineup:
* Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM is the Ambassador of Physical Disability Australia and is known not just for his work as a doctor in the emergency department of Gold Coast University Hospital and his advocacy work in the disability space, but also for his work in research and as a celebrated author and national treasure – and many other achievements on the side.
* Stephanie Dower is a recognised and in demand arts producer, writer and editor and is also the creative mind behind Dower Productions. Her strong commitment to promoting disability inclusion both on screen and behind the scenes, Stephanie has worked across short films, TVCs and online content, and is currently developing a slate of bold and aspirational projects. She is also the recipient of a number of production prizes and accolades, a co-host of Attitude Foundation’s “ReFramed Podcast” and a sought after speaker on accessibility and inclusion.
* Tony Dee (aka Tony Doevendans) is a singer and performer adored around the world for his velvet voice, swinging tunes and gentle love songs from the early jazz days to the 1950’s and beyond. Tony was born with Spina Bifida and is a full time wheelchair user. He is passionate about living life to the full.
* Melanie Hawkes is PDA’s WA Director who works in communications with the WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services. She is also a writer who has won numerous literary awards, and ignited a worldwide conversation around sexuality and disability though sharing her personal sexual journey and insight into why intimacy, love and self growth is important for everyone. As winner of the 2023 Discovery Awards for her innovative stick, Melanie shows that creativity isn’t necessarily reserved for the arts, but also something that everyone (and particularly people living with disability) is able to utilise to find solutions and answers to improve daily living and to bring positive change.
Robert Wise, PDA‘s VIC Director and the Bingo Caller for the DisabiliTEA event, shared his thoughts on why Physical Disability Awareness Day holds special meaning for him. “This very important day provides individuals with physical disabilities the opportunity to have a voice and to gain recognition within society. It provides an opportunity to demonstrate to mainstream society that, although our bodies may function differently, our minds remain active and we are still valuable and prominent members of the community. I am so proud to be a part of this meaningful day.”
GROUP EVENT REGISTRATIONS – Registered DisabiliTEA individuals running group events with 4 or more registered attendees who attend, will go into the draw to win a prize to be divided/distributed by winning registered host at the discretion of those attending the winning group event.
Together let’s grow and strengthen Physical Disability Awareness Day by making some noise, being seen, being recognised, being considered and being celebrated.
If you would like to run your own Physical Disability Awareness Day event or would like to be involved in the organising committee for next year, please email Natasha Nobay (Communications and Engagement Manager, Physical Disability Australia) at promotion@pda.org.au or call 1800 732 674.
The theme of this year’s Physical Disability Awareness Day is “creating possibilities”. At our online DisabiliTEA (Sunday 1st February at 2pm AEDT), we will be showcasing some incredible people who have accomplished careers in the creative and artistic space.
However, we also believe that creativity is particularly relevant to those within the disability community who often have to think outside of the box to solve problems or find solutions to challenges in everyday life.
Annette is one of our hard working committee members who has found ways to work around issues in her life as a person living with a physical disability.
Finding it difficult to get in and out of a bath and to clean, she came up with the clever idea of putting a large sheet over her bath – both for easier access and to reduce cleaning time and effort.
Anchored by 2x 1.5 litre filled water bottles on 2 corners and her litre bottles of shampoo and conditioner on the 3rd, this innovative idea has greatly helped Annette. Her cleaner or support worker will take the sheet and shake it outside when necessary, and it saves Annette looking at dirt and dust.
She has also come up with other creative adaptations that help her in her daily life. These include putting a okkey strap (aka occy strap/bungee cord – depending on which part of Australia you’re in) with rope around the top of her recliner chair to secure her sheepskin cover originally connected by Velcro straps, but became detached and needing to be reattached with a sewing machine that she does not have. Other clever fixes involve making her office chair more comfortable by securing a pillow – again with the help of a okkey strap plus rope; her 24 inch screen and laptop both placed on her work sit/stand desk, she has positioned a card table next to it – this sits at a lower level and, with the aid of a piece of hard foam, she places her iPad on it when working so it is on a better level to her desk.
Clever adaptations like these have helped Annette circumvent her physical disabilities to make life easier and more comfortable.
Have you come up with any clever adaptations or inventions that have made a positive difference in your life?
We’d love to hear about them either in the comments or by you joining us at Sunday’s DisabiliTEA (NSW/VIC/ACT/TAS 2pm. SA: 1.30pm. QLD: 1pm. NT: 12.30pm. WA: 11am).
Physical Disability Australia extends warm congratulations to the 2026 Australia Day Honours Recipients – particularly people living with disability and those involved in the sector.
My name is Robert. I have an above knee amputation, specifically known as a hip disarticulation, which involved the removal of part of my hip joint as well. I have been an amputee since 2003.
Following the onset of my disability, many aspects of my life changed, requiring me to seek out new activities and interests. With more free time on my hands, I began to focus on creating and making things, both at my local Men’s Shed and at home.
I have explored a variety of creative outlets, including woodworking and card and paper craft. I possess a wide range of tools that assist me in these projects. Engaging in these creative activities gives me a positive outlook and reinforces my sense of usefulness and capability. I have no specific interests; I try a variety of things, including building model kits, electronics and computer skills. Although I do face some challenges with my creative skills, the most important thing is that I do not give up. I find satisfaction when I sit back and look at the finished project. The project in the photo was one I chose because it showcases my woodwork skills, computer design involving 3D printing and my assembly skills.
Physical Disability Awareness Day holds special meaning for me. It provides individuals with physical disabilities the opportunity to have a voice and to gain recognition within society. There is no other dedicated day on the calendar for this purpose. This day allows us to demonstrate to mainstream society that, although our bodies may function differently, our minds remain active and we are still valuable and prominent members of the community. I am so proud to be a part of this meaningful day.
Physical Disability Awareness Day has been around since 2023 and is held annually on the first Sunday in February. The day provides an opportunity to celebrate and recognise those living with a physical disability, to build community, to raise awareness around the many conditions that fall under the physical disability banner and to highlight our contributions and presence in society.
This year’s theme is “Creative Possibilities” and will allow us to showcase some incredible people who have accomplished careers in the creative and artistic space (including literature, media production and performance art), but also highlight everyone’s creative abilities – including generation of new, original and valuable ideas or solutions to find new ways and thinking to solve problems or express themselves.
Events are held throughout Australia and we encourage you to get together with others to recognise Physical Disability Awareness Day. You’re also invited to join our online DisabiliTEA at 2pm AEDT (register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/q3wGsKsUSga_rmddVY_lmw) to hear from some incredible speakers, to enjoy disability themed bingo WITH SOME GREAT PRIZES (I’ll be your bingo caller) and to have a great time celebrating Physical Disability Awareness Day.
