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Wynyard NDIS participant Chelsea Gunn collects beach driftwood, dries it, then meticulously strings colourful beads onto fishing wire and attaches them to make decorative beaded wall art. The 23-year-old, who has an intellectual disability and autism, has become so good at her craft, each time someone sees her make one, or they see one hanging up in her house, they ask her if she would sell it to them or if she could make them one to buy. Proud and inspired by the popularity of her beaded wall art, not to mention the joy she gets making them, Chelsea, with...

Paralympian and swimmer Braedan will be reaching for Commonwealth Games gold when the NDIS participant represents Australia in the 50m freestyle s13. While it will be his first Commonwealth Games due to the classification being offered for the first time, Braedan has represented Australia in 2 Paralympics, the most recent in Tokyo where he had his best result in the men’s 400m freestyle s13 placing 4th. The 24-year-old Sunshine Coast local began swimming at 8, and started as a nipper in Surf Life Saving around the same time as he was diagnosed with cone-rod dystrophy. Braeden – who is legally...

Para-powerlifter Ben Wright is hoping third time’s a charm, when the NDIS participant attempts to end a 16-year Commonwealth Games medal drought for Australia in Birmingham. Ben, the Oceania record holder in 2 divisions and 3-time national champion, will become just the 2nd Australian to compete in Para-powerlifting at 3 Games when he takes on the Commonwealth’s best. Making his Games’ debut at Glasgow 2014 the 35-year-old West Australian, who lives with Spina Bifida, followed up with a courageous 6th placing at Gold Coast 2018 following a broken back sustained in a seizure just 10 weeks out from competition. Now...

NDIS participant Bill Cooper and best friend Kyran O’Donnell have a special bond, which they love sharing with people around the world. The two men have become a TikTok sensation by making videos about their unique relationship. Their Brother Boy videos have clocked up more than 50 million views on TikTok, showcasing a friendship straddling disability, culture, and a state border. “We’re normalising the differences between us and not just us, but everybody,” Kyran said. Bill lives with Down syndrome and works at a supermarket in Wentworth, New South Wales. Best friend and brother-in-law Kyran is based over the border...