Skip to content

Connecting with Community: Celebrating Disability Pride 2025

a hand holding a cupcake with an image of a disability pride flag on it. There is also a miniature pride flag stuck in the top

It’s always joyful when the disability community comes together to celebrate.

And on Friday 19 July 2025, that’s exactly what we did.

Over 70 people attended our 2025 Disability Pride Celebration at Kensington Town Hall, including a small group of people who attended online. Guests were treated to the comedy stylings of MC Robyn Reynolds, who has recently joined the DRC’s communications team, before a warm and enthusiastic Welcome to Country by Yorta Yorta Elder Aunty Jane.

The afternoon was hosted by DRC and the Belong network and held in honor of Belong founding member Kirsty Timberlake who died in May. We took a few minutes to hold candles, honour and remember her together. We also remembered dear friend Phin Meere and other beloved community members that we have lost this year. 

With glittering sparkles and fairy lights, attendees enjoyed good food, good conversation, and good company. There were games, art displays, craft, a sensory corner decked out with the help of Kaiko Fidgets and Sensory Tools Australia, and disability pride badge making with artist and advocate Larissa McFarlane, who also spoke about power disability pride at the event.

As part of our open mic segment nine speakers shared their stories, including campaigner and ME advocate Andrew Bretherton, Ness Hill from KindNess and visual artist Louise Marson.

“It’s so important to come together to celebrate disability pride and culture,” DRC Executive Officer Ally Scott said.

“It’s a way of acknowledging the ableism, the discrimination and the barriers, whilst connecting with the unique value of each and every one of us.”

“Our community is radically inclusive, so we bring people together from wildly different disability experiences, and across culture, age and gender identity. We are truly diverse, but our shared disability culture is tangible.

It’s an incredibly joyful crowd to be part of.”

For many, it was their first time meeting the DRC and Belong community—and attendees said they felt very positive about the sense of connection at the event. For others, it was a return to an annual tradition, and a chance to meet up with friends old and new.

We’d like to thank everybody who came, and everybody who helped make this happen. We hope you had a wonderful time—and we’ll see you next year for an even bigger and better disability pride celebration.

Three people doing arts and crafts as a long table
A person speaking into a microphone while holding a plush toy of a sloth. This person has short brown hair and a grey t-shirt on. Next to them is an AUSLAN interpreter who has glasses and is wearing a grey jumper.
On the right there are two people facing away from the camera, one of them is standing while the other is sitting in an electric wheelchair. On the left of the image is a banner which reads: DRC Disability Rights and Culture We are a radically inclusive Disabled People's Organisation Uniting people with disability across cultures and identities Fighting for Disability Justice Building Disability Culture Celebrating Disability Pride
Two people standing next to each other and smiling. One of them has their arm around the other one. Both of them are holding walking sticks
Clasped hands holding a cupcake. The cupcake is white with the disability pride flag in icing on top, as well as a small disability pride flag sticking out of it on a toothpick
A small screen on a stage that says "DRC TIME!" with a cupcake in front of it and some plastic sunflowers next to it
Two people talking to each other. One of them is wearing brightly coloured clothes and a hat, and is using a walking stick. The other person has bright pink hair, a matching pink skirt, and a black top. They are sitting in an electrical wheelchair
A person looking at the camera. They are bald with a long brown and pink beard. They are wearing a sunflower lanyard and have a butterfly sticker on their face
Four people in brightly coloured clothing having a conversation
A person standing at a microphone wearing a dark jumper with the aboriginal flag in the shape of so-called Australia on it. There is an AUSLAN interpreter next to them

Zoe Simmons is an award-winning journalist, author, speaker, disability advocate and human rights ambassador. She uses the raw power of storytelling and lived experience to smash stigma, create change, and help others to not feel so alone. Zoe is also a new addition to the DRC’s team as the communication and engagement coordinator.

Have a blog idea and want to share it? Reach out to Zoe@DRC.org.au

We’d love to here from you!

While you’re here, why not check out our free disability community, Belong?

August 15, 2025

Breaking the Silence on Medical Gaslighting

Medical gaslighting is when a health professional dismisses, downplays, or questions your symptoms or concerns. It doesn’t always look dramatic. Sometimes it’s subtle.
A black and white linocut print featuring an older woman with long hair and glasses holding up a sign that says "Spastic Society opposses women. The letter "s" is made to look like the lightning bolts in the SS Nazi symbol.
July 29, 2025

Lesley Hall (1954 – 2013)

Lesley was a feminist disablity advocate and leader in the Disability and Workers Right’s movements since the 1970s. She trained and worked as a teacher, and worked in numerous community and arts organisations.
Photograph of a linocut print. In the foreground, in black, is an older Aboriginal woman with short hair, squinting a little as she gazes off into the distance. Only her head in depicted, and it overlaps with a ticket with the words "First Peoples Disability Network" written on it. In the background is red and yellow lines and dots in the style of traditional First Nations artwork.
July 29, 2025

Aunty Gayle Rankine (1956 – 2019)

Aunty Gayle was a Ngarrindjeri woman born in Raukkan (Point McLeay Mission) on Lake Alexandrina in South Australia. She was a leading voice for Aboriginal people with disability and in 2014 was the founding Chairperson of the First Peoples Disability Network (FPDN).