The Future Is Inclusive podcast

The Future Is Inclusive is a locally produced ten-part podcast that explores the experiences of people with disability, their families and allies, aiming to positively build empathy and understanding amongst people wishing to be allies. 

The ten part series includes episodes on Access,  Inclusion, Identity, Arts, Employment, Education, Health Justice, Family and Friends and Purpose.

The Future Is Inclusive

We all want to be an ally for people with disability. But we don’t always know how. By listening to the perspectives of people with disability, this ten-part series gives insiders’ perspectives and advice to allies on how to “tool up” and make the world a richer and better place through supporting inclusion.

the future is INCLUSIVE - colourful circles within larger circle

Hosted by Cara Matthews with co-hosts Ruth O’Brien and Suzy and Alison Procter and featuring a variety of guests including Senator Jordan Steele-John, the late Sue Salthouse, Dougie Herd, Yenn Purkis, and Craig Wallace

Produced by Kim Lester

Funded by the Community Services Directorate

Read descriptions and listen to each episode below or you can listen to the series on Soundcloud, Spotify or your favourite podcatcher. 

Episode 1: How to be an access ally

We meet hosts Cara Matthews and Alison Procter and hear why they both feel inadequately qualified to host a series about the experiences of people with disability, but amply qualified to go on a journey of exploring what it means to be an ally for people with disability by hearing the perspectives and experiences of people with disability. This episode explores what does access mean, look like, who’s responsible for it, how to make it a forethought instead of an afterthought through an rsvp, and when it’s even better than a choc top. 

Episode 2: Learn to be more inclusive 

Get your teachable moments in this episode about why representation matters, learning the difference between annoying and helpful “well meaning-ness” and we drop some truth-bombs about getting inclusion wrong and learning from it and consider what every person can do to be more inclusive for people with disability.  

 

Episode 3: Why identity matters

This episode explores how language drives how we see things, the difference between person-first and identity-first language, between “ill-health”, “impairment” and disability and how being a good ally means listening, learning and changing even we already feel pretty woke. We excitedly all learn together what it means to be a “non-verbal” podcast host and we venture into the tumultuous terrain of the R and S words. We give a great tip on the good-for-all-situations-question allies can ask to check they’re doing the right thing, we learn how to “call people in” instead of calling them out and we invite people to dive into the awkwardness where ally growth happens.

(See this website's sections on Inclusive and accessible communities, Leadership, representation and diversity and Celebrating and showcasing inclusion)

Episode 4: Making the arts accessible

Making reasonable adjustments for artists and people who consume art – because art is better when its available to everyone! Taking the stage, producing the work, teaching venues how to be accessible – the opportunities for allies to amplify the work, performance and practice of artists with disability are endless. 

 

(See our page on Inclusive arts and performance)

Episode 5: How to make your workplace inclusive 

What does a reasonable adjustment in the workplace look like? What are the characteristics of a good workplace and workplace ally? What’s the impact of being seen as a burden in the workplace, when actually you are an asset? What’s a Disability Action and Inclusion Plan and how does it apply to workplaces? And what has been the value-add for a local pharmacy to have employed a singing stock operator.

(See this website's section on Employment and volunteering)

Episode 6: Inclusive classrooms benefit everyone

What’s it like for students with disability and their families navigating their school years? Who’s the most important ally at a school? How can parents and students be allies too? How does social capital, built at school, lead to positive adulthood? All these questions and more are explored in this episode of the Future Is Inclusive.

(See this website's section on Learning and skills)

Episode 7: Access to health 

Some things are too big to fix with a podcast, but it’s still helpful to talk about them! Learn what diagnostic overshadowing means and so much more in this episode about access to health for people with disability.

 

(See this website's section on Health and wellbeing)

Episode 8: Everyone should have access to justice 

We all have the right to justice, to have equal protection by the law, to be heard, to make decisions and to be safe. But sometimes things don’t go as they should for people with disability. This episode hears about an experience of one young man with intellectual disability who was scammed out of many thousands of dollars and what the ACT Government is doing to respond to make access to justice fair. 

Episode 9: Friends and Family: the allies who love you most

Living life “like a hawk”, feeling like you want to “mow people down with a shopping trolley” and getting some serious air in a sit-ski – all these adventures and more in this episode hearing from family and friends about how to be an ally for people with disability and the goods thing that happen when we all realise that friendships are two-way streets.

Episode 10: The value of purpose

In this final episode of The Future Is Inclusive we explore why purpose matters, how it’s more than “filling your week with activities” and how to get on board with it.