Peer mentors

Polio survivor, wheelchair user for over thirty years, and a peer counsellor for the last eight. I have helped a lot of people through disability certification, benefits and workplace conversations. If the paperwork is what is defeating you, start with me.

C7, six years. I got married after my injury and have a two-year-old. Relationships, intimacy and parenting are the topics people are most embarrassed to ask about and least likely to get honest answers on. I will give you honest answers.

T10, nine years post. I drive with hand controls, run a small business, and did my own home modifications on a tight budget. Ask me about independence logistics — driving, licences, getting around a city that was not built for us.

L2, injured at 20 in the middle of my degree. I finished the degree and got into wheelchair basketball, and both of those were harder for reasons nobody warned me about. Happy to talk to students and to anyone trying to get back into sport.

I am a caregiver, not a patient — I look after my brother, C6 complete, three years now. Caregivers get almost no support and are expected to work it out alone. If you are the family member doing all the searching, I would like to talk to you.

T8, eleven years in. I cut my bowel routine from two hours to under forty minutes and I am fairly evangelical about it because of how much of my life it gave back. Also play wheelchair basketball and can point you toward a group.

T4, seven years post-injury. I went back to a full-time corporate job 14 months after my injury and I now travel for work most months. If you are worried about whether a career is still possible, or nervous about your first flight, I have made most of the mistakes already.

C6, injured in a road accident at 24, twelve years ago. I spent the first two years thinking my life was over and I would like to save someone else that time. Happy to talk about the practical stuff nobody explains at discharge — bladder management, getting a home set up, and what the first year actually feels like.