PROFILE
PARALYMPIAN, PRESENTER, SPEAKER, DISABILITY & ADVOCATE
TAP INTO SOME SERIOUS POSITIVITY WHILST UNDERSTANDING THE TRUE MEANING AND IMPACT OF DIVERSITY & INCLUSION.
With a record-breaking 17 Paralympic medals and an OAM. In January 2024 she was also awarded an AM for her “significant service to sport as an advocate for diversity and inclusion”.
At age three, her right leg was amputated after she suffered a life-threatening sarcoma cancer, but rather than dwell on adversity, Ellie has instead shown an incredible ability to overcome the odds.
It’s not only her courageous story but her unrivalled sense of humour, wonderful humility and never-say-die attitude that make her a true inspiration.
SPEAKING TOPICS
MOTIVATIONAL MINDSET
Shifting your mindset can be the difference between a happy, fulfilled existence and a daily struggle. After a year of unsuccessful chemotherapy, Ellie’s parents made the heartbreaking decision to amputate her leg. She jumped into a swimming pool eight weeks later for rehabilitation – and from that moment built an inspiring and glittering career.
Ellie focuses on embracing life and adapting to change. She believes that having a disability has taught her that things don’t always go our way, and how important it is to focus on the positive and move forward.
A lot of people have emotional limitations that prevent them from living the lives they want to live – but Ellie says these are stepping stones that are easy to overcome – once you know how.
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION & POSITIVE IMPACT
Throughout Ellie’s career as a Paralympic athlete, she has seen first-hand how genuine acceptance and encouragement of diversity and inclusion practices can be a serious game changer. Not only does diversity provide society and individuals with an empowering competitive advantage, it also brings together people from different backgrounds to excel in creativity, problem solving and innovation.
Here Ellie shares her tips and experiences in building brilliantly diverse teams and communities and the enormous benefit we can all enjoy from it.
ACCESSIBLE COMMUNITIES & ENVIRONMENTS
The tourism industry contributes 10.8 billion dollars to our Australian Visitor Economy, which is greater than the Chinese tourism industry. With an estimated 20% of Australian adults having a disability and an ageing population, the disability sector is set to grow. So, how we can change our world to accommodate people living with an impairment?
Through the process of universal design our world can be accessed, understood and used by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability. An inclusive world is not waiting for a special occasion to address issues in our environment, but by doing the best we can to address issues in our communities so they are able to be enjoyed by all.
