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It will be a celebration to remember when Nicholas Crawford hosts his first New Year’s Eve party.

When her daughter Alyssa was born with Down syndrome, for Sydney mother Melissa Cotterill, the first steps as a family were the hardest. ‘When Alyssa was born, and she was diagnosed with Down syndrome, it was the fear of the unknown that scared me the most, but information and awareness are key factors to overcoming that fear.’ While still in hospital, a visit from a Down Syndrome (DS) NSW parent support worker helped ease Melissa’s fears. And it was DS NSW who encouraged Melissa to seek support from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Alyssa, 16, has a range of...

Extra-sensitive hearing and an autism diagnosis has given rise to the monster talent of JayBird Byrne, who lets her ‘Frankenstat’ electric guitar do the talking when words are hard to find. At the tender age of 12, JayBird is blowing the minds of seasoned musicians with her amazing guitar skills, and the scary thing is she can only get better. JayBird, from Narangba, north of Brisbane, lives with autism and ADHD and has been playing the guitar since she was 8. Ahead of World Autism Day, on 2 April, the NDIS participant puts her amazing musical ability down to her...

For Olivia Hill, an “anthem” for the NDIS, scripted from the songbook of her life, was a tune needing to be sung.