Meet Clare (she/her) – keen crafter, avid reader and self-described mad chicken lady (she’s got 10) πππ
Clare is currently completing the Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation and is a passionate advocate for the rights of people with disability.
“As a woman with multiple disabilities, including Autism and ADHD, I love to find ways to support people in my community. I volunteer on two boards, People with Disability Australia and the South West Autism Network. I am also a member of the Western Australian Disability Advisory Council, and a pro bono advisor for Outback Academy."
Clare's advocacy work has taken her to some amazing places - this year she travelled to the United Nations headquarters in New York as part of the Australian delegation. She told us,
The UN trip was a life changing experience that has really opened up my thinking in terms of Australia’s place in the world.
On top of all that advocacy work, Clare managed to find the time to fit in her very own TedX talk.
"TedX was a real challenge. It required a great deal of practice, and revision and more practice, which for someone with ADHD was a pretty tough gig! But I got there, and I’ve been told I did well. I haven't actually seen it myself because I can’t stand watching myself on TV or in videos."
In her free time, Clare loves to get crafty.
“I’m a very keen crafter, love to read, and rescue old books from op shops. I am a bit of a mad chicken lady and have 10 lovely girls who I spoil ridiculously. This provides lots of eggs which I use to bake desserts and other sweet treats."
I love winter and am fascinated by weather, particularly strong storms, and probably would have been a storm chaser if I’d paid more attention in class as a kid.
We asked Clare to tell us three things people should know about disability that they don’t know. She gave us four.
- That there are lots of us out there! There’s 4.4 million of us in Australia, and we’re a pretty great bunch of people.
- That people with invisible disability often face discrimination too, particularly when people like to tell us we ‘don’t look disabled’ or we’re faking it.
- That not every person with Autism wants to work in IT! We also want to be artists, creators, CEO’s and business owners.
- Also, we’re way more empathetic than most people think. Yes, I know that’s four things, but I like to bend the rules where I can. And I have A LOT to say!
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