Katherine Reed

After a spinal injury at age 19, Katherine has used a wheelchair and understands that even the most difficult circumstances offer unique perspectives that allow us to lead and support others.

Katherine has played wheelchair basketball at an elite level for several years with a group of women who taught her not just about the sport, but also about working as part of a team, working alongside different types of disability and how to reset her own expectations and perceived capabilities (and those of others).

Since her basketball career, she has worked as a support worker, before taking time away from her career to raise a family. Throughout this time, she continued to contribute to the community, writing about her experiences as a mother with a spinal cord injury on her blog ParaParenting.

Throughout this time, she periodically visited local schools and community groups, speaking about her experiences and educating on the impacts of living with a disability. She has also been a peer mentor with both AQA Vic and ParaQuad Tasmania for many years.

She now works with ParaQuad Tasmania as a physical disability sports officer in Northern Tasmania. She is also involved in work speaking at schools for Paralympics Australia and as a regional coach for the Australian Gliders (women’s wheelchair basketball).

ParaPregnancy: https://parapregnancy.blogspot.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paraparenting/ (not currently updated regularly).