Meet Mark
What is your favourite food/band/movie/hobby?
Hot Potato Chips (any way they come). My band is Michael Jackson.
Is there a fun fact we should know about you?
I can be very dry and sarcastic in my humour.
What is it about QDeNgage that you enjoy the most?
Our lived experience has value, and we should be compensated accordingly for that knowledge. I know QDN do great work, they have a great track record, and they have a good standing in the community, and I know that my knowledge and experience will go to good use.
What is the best piece of advice you can provide about QDeNgage?
They inspire me to do all things I can do. Mostly it’s my fellow members I get to work with.
Meet Cheryl
What is your favourite food/band/movie/hobby?
Avocado and hazelnut latte. My band is Café Del Mar.
Is there a fun fact we should know about you?
I love to sign and love going on cruises.
What is it about QDeNgage that you enjoy the most?
I am new to QDeNgage and can’t wait to show I can do. I like QDN because it’s not focused on a single disability but on everybody in the disability community.
What is the best piece of advice you can provide about QDeNgage?
We need to be a bit a louder and visible in the broader community. There is a danger of us becoming a bit ‘us and them’. Give QDeNgage a go because being a part of a community is very empowering!!
Meet Paul
What is your favourite food/band/movie/hobby?
Cheesecake, particularly wifes Nutella cheesecake. Red wine, Shiraz, Barossa Valley, from old rum barrels. My band is Dire Straights.
Is there a fun fact we should know about you?
I’m a strategic war game nut. Sega game, the Total War series.
What is it about QDeNgage that you enjoy the most?
I felt like I was included, empowered and in the room. I haven’t felt like that in a while. Well, mainly because I believe in the ethos of QDN.
What is the best piece of advice you can provide about QDeNgage?
Go for it! It’s a worthwhile experience and you will learn a lot. Be transparent but humble enough to grow.
UPDATES ON ENGAGEMENTS 2024
Australian Disability Parking Permit and Medical Certificate for Driver Licence Forms
Amazing work by all the QDeNgage Consultants that took part on the reviews of the Australian Disability Parking Permit and the Medical Certificate for Driver Licence.
Key features of the new accessible forms design provided by QDeNgage have been include:
- minimum 12-point font
- plain English, with jargon and repetition removed
- increase white space and improved colour contrast
- larger fields to write in
- all fields are fillable online
- product images are included
- QR codes and other clear link to further information and assistance have been added.
- unnecessary information has been removed.
NIISQ for Support Planners Roles
NIISQ Agency is growing! They are regularly looking for new people to join their team of Support Planners to make a positive impact on the lives of their participants who have sustained serious personal injury in a motor vehicle accident in Queensland. NIISQ knows the QDN community is filled with highly skilled talented people with disability or lived experience of disability. So, they have extended the invitation for QND members to apply to join their Support Planner team.
Full information on the role of a Support Planner and the talent pool process is available on their website: Career opportunities - National Injury Insurance Scheme, Queensland. Click here for more information
NIISQ is particularly interested in recruiting people with allied health, rehabilitation, WorkCover or CTP insurance experience and people who identify as having disability, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. Open discussion of reasonable adjustments is welcomed at each stage of the recruitment process.
The talent pool process is currently open and will remain active until May 2025 or such time as they have enough suitable candidates in the talent pool.
A WORD FROM A CONSULTANT
David’s Experience as a QDeNgage Consultant
Hello, I’m David, a long-term member of QDN. I’d like to share some insights into my role as a QDeNgage Consultant, so you can understand how I contribute to the team and carry out my responsibilities.
I usually receive a phone call from one of the QDeNgage staff. During the call, I check my calendar for availability and have a brief discussion about the project details and how my experiences align with it.
I let my support workers know the dates I’ll be working, which helps me prioritise and focus on staying fit and healthy for the work. Creating a plan is essential to my preparation process.
Once I receive the confirmation email about the project, I sit down to review it carefully. Sometimes, there is pre-reading or other preparation required. I also regularly check my emails with my support worker for any QDeNgage correspondence.
I maintain a home office, which serves as the centre of coordination for my professional life. It helps me stay organised and maintain a good work/life balance.
Planning travel is important, as I often use a car or public transport. However, I’ve encountered barriers such as inaccessible bus stations, challenging gradients on pathways, and confusing schedule boards. These issues can impact my energy levels. I often use tools like Google Maps and occasionally seek assistance from TransLink to plan my travel.
Yes, I keep a reflective journal where I document my observations and experiences, including interactions with the public and service providers. This helps me process challenges, appreciate moments of joy, and recall details relevant to QDeNgage engagements.
QDeNgage provides great support, including routine reminders about invoices, which I find very helpful. Big thanks to the admin team for their assistance!
