Elders and Forebears

Why Our Elders and Forbears Matter

The disability rights movement stands on the shoulders of those who came before us. Our elders and forbears are the ones who challenged injustice, created space for our voices, and imagined new ways of living, organising and resisting.

They lived through times when speaking up was dangerous, when support was scarce, and when the world was even less accessible than it is today. Their determination, creativity and refusal to be silenced helped build the foundations of the movement we continue today.

Honouring our elders means listening to their stories, learning from their strategies, and recognising that the fight for justice and pride didn’t start with us—and won’t end with us either. We carry their legacy forward every time we take action, speak out, or support one another

From the Disability Pride month of July 2025 we are building an online gallery of elders and forebears, including reflections by community members on their role within the Disability Movement.

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.

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.

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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.

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).

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Black and white linocut print. In the foreground is a man wearing a striped polo-shirt. He has a big toothy smile. Behind him a small crowd of people, including two wearing police hats and people with cameras. They are looking down at two people lying together on a mattress in an intimate embrace, wrapped in a blanket.

“Honeymoon Protest” – Martin Stewart

This image is inspired by the Honeymoon protest (1988) of Martin Stewart and his then wife Helen. Martin is a disability activist and disabled workers rights advocate.

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