The Purple Orange Podcast: Recent Episodes
JFA Purple Orange
A mix of first person stories, discussions and explorations of issues relevant to the disability community.
Ayla Regione spent years hiding her deafness, trying to “keep up”, and pushing through without asking for what she needed. When barriers got in her way, she blamed herself.
But everything changed when someone reminded her that access isn’t a privilege — it’s a right.
This episode is a powerful story of identity, internalised ableism, and what it means to stop apologising for your needs and start claiming your space.
“I wasn’t the one that was failing the world. The world was failing me.”
You can sit with us 🦼
Join our host, Belle Owen, as she talks with Jasmin from Babes with Mobility Aids for a joyful and insightful conversation about naming and styling mobility aids, authentic representation in media, and the power of telling real stories online.
From calling out tired tropes to celebrating mobility aids as tools of freedom, this episode is full of sharp takes and big laughs.
You can sit with us 🦼
Join our host, Belle Owen, as she talks with Jasmin from Babes with Mobility Aids for a joyful and insightful conversation about naming and styling mobility aids, authentic representation in media, and the power of telling real stories online.
From calling out tired tropes to celebrating mobility aids as tools of freedom, this episode is full of sharp takes and big laughs.
When Nicole Edmunds first became unwell, doctors told her it was stress, anxiety, or poor sleep. But she knew her body — and she knew something wasn’t right.
After months of medical gaslighting and self-doubt, Nicole was diagnosed with POTS: Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome — a form of dysautonomia that affects the autonomic nervous system and is often invisible to others.
In this honest and moving episode, Nicole shares what it’s like to live with an invisible disability in a world that rewards performance over rest, and productivity over pacing. She speaks about identity, relationships, and how exhausting it is to prove your pain when no one can see it.
Whether you have an invisible disability or want to understand how to be a better ally to someone who does — this story is for you.
Listen now and reflect on how we make space — or don’t — for people with invisible disability.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Australian POTS Foundation
- Dysautonomia International
- Standing Up to POTS
- The Ehlers-Danlos Society
What happens when the world refuses to see who you really are?
When Khadija Gbla was diagnosed as autistic in their 30s, it brought relief — and grief for all the years spent masking, misunderstood. In this powerful episode, they reflect on cultural stigma, disability, racism, and how becoming a parent helped them begin to heal and rewrite the story.
Born in Sierra Leone and resettled in Australia as a teenager, Khadija’s story is one of survival, identity, and fierce love — especially for their son, Sammy, who is also autistic.
With honesty and strength, Khadija shares how racism, ableism and cultural stigma collided throughout their life, and how they’re now rewriting the narrative — for themselves and for the next generation.
“I wish I had had somebody like me to realise that Black girls can also be disabled.”
Listen now to hear a story of strength, claiming identity, and the power of self-acceptance and understanding.
Listen to Khadija's TED talk about female genital mutilation.
Download the transcript for Black people can be disabled: Breaking the cycle of disability stereotypes
For Trudy and Chris, love wasn’t about grand gestures. It was in the little things - train rides to nowhere, shared jokes, holding hands, or quietly sitting side by side in the sun.
In this moving episode of the Purple Orange Podcast, we share the story of a relationship shaped by love, disability, and intimacy. Trudy and Chris remind us that life’s most meaningful moments are often small, deliberate, and full of care.
This story also honours Trudy, who passed away before the episode was released. Her husband, Chris, wanted the world to hear it.
Trudy's warmth, humour, and spirit live on through her words.
Have you ever tried to support someone but ended up making them uncomfortable instead? 😬
Join Belle Owen and Dr. Ellen Fraser-Barbour, two proud disabled women, as they share powerful stories and insights about:
- The difference between performing allyship vs living it
- Why listening is more powerful than fixing
- How curiosity and humility open up space for real inclusion
- The invisible impact of everyday actions
This episode will challenge assumptions and help build your confidence to be a better ally- in workplaces, communities, and everyday life.
Read the transcript for Unseen, but felt: The art of allyship
Watch Unseen, but felt: The art of allyship on Youtube
"My psychologist said go for a walk every day. So I did!" - Terra Roam
What does it take to truly find yourself? For Terra, it began with a walk—and turned into a 17,200 km journey that changed their life.
Along the way, Terra, who is neurodivergent, found freedom, recovery, and authenticity after years of masking and overcoming challenges like domestic violence and self-doubt.
Listen in as Terra shares:
- The healing power of nature.
- Surprising truths about identity.
- The strength in being unapologetically yourself.
View Terra Roam's website.
Download transcript of Becoming Terra Roam.
Have you ever wondered what we lose when stories are simply framed as 'inspiration' pieces? 🤔
In this episode of the Purple Orange Podcast, Jessie opens up about her journey to becoming a champion equestrian while navigating loss and life with a disability—and how her beloved horse and best friend, Storm, was by her side to see her through her darkest moments.
Tune in to hear Jessie’s reflections on grief, resilience, purpose, and the unfiltered reality of disability.
Listen to Stella Young's TED talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K9Gg164Bsw
Download transcript of Lend me your legs: Pursuing passion amid grief
Have you ever wondered how changing a single word can change someone's experience? 🤔
In this episode of The Purple Orange Podcast, Belle Owen and Dr. Ellen Fraser-Barbour dive deep into why language matters. Language is more than just words—it's a tool that shapes identity, influences perceptions, and can either empower or marginalise.
From rejecting outdated terms to embracing identity-first language, Ellen and Belle share how their views on disability have evolved over the years and the impact of these shifts.
Listen to their powerful conversation to learn how you can make meaningful changes with something as simple (and free!) as language.
Click here to download a transcript of Language Matters.
Dating can be challenging. Especially in today’s brave new world of dating apps.
How much of yourself do you put in your profile for all to see? How much do you leave for a later conversation?
Daniella shares insights into her dating experiences, her thought process on whether or not to disclose her differences and the layers and complexities built around why and why not as she walks through some of her raw reflections on her journey through the dating landscape.
Click here to download a transcript of Let's talk about dating.
Have you ever felt stuck in a rut? Or like life is kind of a drag? You wait for change to come. And you wait, and you wait…
And then it hits you, it’s not going to change. Not unless you make it happen.
Join Matt as he breaks out of his comfort zone and faces his fears, creating the change he was waiting for in order to truly live.
Click here to download a transcript of Breaking out of the safe zone.
To kick off season 2, we have a powerful story centred on home. Imagine living in a home that feels more like a prison. You live without any choice or control over what your day looks like. How would you feel? How would you act? Find out in Episode one Season 2 of the Purple Orange Podcast, which takes us on an incredible journey of darkness to light, in which Tim leaves his group home, and regains control over his life.
"Have you thought about a mainstream school?" touches on inclusive education and how it benefits both people with disability and the schooling community as a whole.
Join Michaela as she talks about their family's journey to finding an inclusive mainstream school for her child, Harry. Click here to download and read the transcript of Have you thought about a mainstream school.
What happens for someone who acquires their disability? Join Lauren as she takes us on her journey of self-discovery after acquiring disability, how it completely changed the trajectory of her life, and how re-understanding who she was compared to who she is now has helped reform and reignite her purpose and passion.Click here to download and read the transcript of The journey to self-acceptance.
Years ago, Andrew Gibson embarked on a journey of learning to drive after experiencing brain injury. This led to regained confidence, independence, and access to social and employment opportunities. In short, it was life-changing.
Today, Andrew is the Project Leader for SKILL, an individual capacity building project, and in this special edition podcast episode, he talks to Brad Williams, from Williams OT, about turning your dream of learning to drive into an actionable plan for living life the way you want.
Click here to access the transcript for the episode.
Have you thought about how other countries and cultures view disability?
Esther takes us through her journey of battling cultural stigma around disability in Sudan, Uganda and Australia and the challenges of migrating to a new country and forging her path as a woman with disability from a linguistically diverse background!
Click here to download and read the transcript of The burden of low expectations: Challenging disability stigma across cultures.
Join Mike and Lucilla, and Mikaila and Ivy as they talk about parenting with a disability, the challenges and solutions they overcame as a family, and how it’s changed their lives for the better.
Click here to download and read the transcript of Rethinking the ideal parent.
Join Lily as she talks about internalised ableism, how it's affected Lily throughout different stages of her life, and the challenge of forever trying to shape society to fit you, when it isn't designed for you.
Find out more about Lily's journey through school and motherhood and the constant, everyday battle against her own internal thoughts.
Click here to download and read the transcript of Maybe I’ll just miss out: Changing the world by changing your mind.
Join Gavin as he takes listeners through his employment journey and what that has looked like at various stages of his career. Things could have turned out very differently for him, but he knew the universe was telling him to take a chance... Find out how he carved out his own path and created new opportunities for himself.Click here to download and read the transcript of Underrepresented, undervalued and underpaid: Breaking through employment barriers.
It is great that we are starting to hear more businesses, organisations and government talk about engaging the disability community. But, if they are only doing tokenistic, tick and flick engagement, it's not going to make much difference.
In this episode you will hear 6 key tips for good engagement. These tips come from the collective wisdom of the Local Government Disability Inclusion Advisory Group. It is made up of a group of 12 people, all of whom live with disability. They advise local councils on how to better include the disability community.
To read a transcript of this podcast, and to see a video that goes with this podcast, click here.
Leanne's relationship with understanding herself as a disabled woman is a complex and ever-evolving process. She's at a point where she feels empowered and in control of her own narrative. This is her story of arriving there.
To read a transcript of this story, visit our website: https://www.purpleorange.org.au/stories/podcast-evolution-self-understanding
Purple Orange is growing! We've hired so many new staff recently, including Ellen Fraser-Barbour as a policy and research leader. She featured in our second ever podcast episode!
It's a great episode about claiming your right to risk when you live with disability.
It's definitely worth a listen.
This episode first played in May of 2020. We are replaying as we are back in lockdown. The pandemic has taken a toll on our mental and physical health, and on our wallets. We don't want to make light of any of that. But, it has not all been bad. Many people living with disability are well equipped to deal with this. And for some, lockdown actually means a world opening up.
Two mothers of adult children who live with significant disability share their thoughts on Ann Marie Smith and what needs to change to ensure their children are safe into the future.
For a transcript or to watch a captioned video file of this podcast, go to our website: https://www.purpleorange.org.au/stories/podcast-towards-better-system
We bring you an enlightening interview with Natalie Wade. Share shares her thoughts on Ann Marie Smith and what needs to change in order to make sure a tragedy like this never happens again, as well as what we all can do to play our part in that. But first, she tells us about her law firm, Equality Lawyers, which is run by and for people living with disability.
For a transcript of this podcast, or to watch a captioned video file, go to: https://www.purpleorange.org.au/stories/podcast-natalie-wade-equality-lawyers
In April of 2020, the death of Ann Marie Smith shocked us all. Policy makers, service providers, the community, we all asked how this could have happened. But one year on, Purple Orange heard from ‘Nat’, who told us she is scared she is going to be the next Ann Marie Smith. In this podcast, We Need To Talk, you will hear Nat’s story about her problems getting enough support, and how it means she sleeps in her wheelchair most days each week. And she says she’s not the only one.
Listen to the podcast, share it, talk about it.
You can find a transcript of this episode on our website.
In this episode of the Purple Orange Podcast Jae Marie Jaensch explains some of the ways language is regularly used that's harmful to the disability community. But she's not talking about disability slurs or victimising language. Instead, she guides us through something much trickier; Things people think are nice, but actually aren't.
If you are an ally, or want to be an ally, to the disability community, this episode is for you.
For a transcript of this episode visit: https://purpleorange.org.au/stories/nice-not
What do you think might motivate employers to hire people living with disability?
It's well known that diversity strengthens creativity. It's also good for the employer's reputation. There are even some programs to subsidise an employee's wage for a period of time to encourage more employers to give people living with disability a go. But, when I went to check out one workplace that regularly hires people living with disability, Drakes Supermarket in Hallett Cove, I discovered the manager had another motivation. It's very simple, totally practical- something that makes his life easier.
For a transcript of this episode, please visit: https://purpleorange.org.au/stories/drakes-hallett-cove-whats-motivation-hiring-people-living-disability
After graduating from her accounting degree, Daniella Biagi really struggled to get a job. She had no problem getting to the interview stage. But she said there was always an elephant in the room that no one wanted to talk about.
For a transcript and photo of Daniella, visit: https://purpleorange.org.au/stories/elephant-interview
***This episode mentions Job Access (www.jobaccess.gov.au), a government funded program aimed at increasing employment opportunities for people living with disability.
Job Access provides free workplace assessments and funding for workplace modifications and equipment through the Employment Assistance Fund (EAF)
This episode states that it takes 5 days to assess an EAF application. However, the time to assess an EAF application and refer for workplace assessment may vary depending on the individual circumstances of the application. Generally, it takes from 5-10 working days to assess and refer for assessment.***
Many people living with disability feel well equipped to handle the social upheaval caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Some even feel they have better access to their community now.
To read a transcript of this podcast, visit our webpage.
When Maria Cantanzariti, who lives with complex disability, needed to get a Covid-19 test, it was a horrible experience. But, there's a solution.
You can find a transcript of this story here: https://www.purpleorange.org.au/stories/covid-19-testing-made-to-feel-like-I-m-nothing
We’ve all heard that dogs are man’s best friend. But for Mark, and many people all over the world, they are so much more. They are independence, support and safety.
Producer April Dwyer, brings us the story of a man who rebuilds his life after an acquired brain injury with the help of two unlikely friends.
You can find a copy of the transcript for this episode here: https://purpleorange.org.au/stories/more-mans-best-friend
Everyone needs to feel connected, but a lot of men - disability or not - just aren’t connected enough. A study by Beyond Blue and The Movember Foundation, found that a quarter of men reported having no one outside of their immediate family that they can rely on. A lack of social connection is almost doubled in men who live with disability.
It’s well documented that social isolation can have impacts on both your mental and physical health. But how can men who are feeling disconnected, build connection?
To access a transcript of this podcast, please click here.
Christine Priest knew she wanted to experience sex, but didn't think she ever would.
She didn't even know if she even could, but she also couldn't bring herself to discuss any of this with anyone, because no one in her 35 years of life had ever raised the subject of sex.
Christine had to reach her own breaking point, before breaking through the stigma and assumptions that prevented her as seeing herself as a sexual being.
Now she's sharing her story, with that hope that others will feel empowered to discuss their needs.
To read the transcript, or for a written version of this story, please visit our webpage at https://www.purpleorange.org.au/news-resources/we-need-talk-about-sex
When Ellen Fraser-Barbour was 19, she decided to travel on her own to India. Everyone told her it was a bad idea.
"You are crazy," they said. "It's too risky!" "You are deaf! You are blind! You can't travel on your own!" But Ellen decided that was their anxiety. It wasn't her anxiety. So she persevered with her plan.
We know we as a society produce way too much plastic waste and something needs to be done about it, and quick. Single use plastic bags have been banned, and now campaigns to ban the plastic straw are gaining momentum. But could banning the straw create another problem with dire consequences for many?
For a transcript of this podcast, or to read an article version, go to https://www.purpleorange.org.au/news-resources/lets-talk-about-straws