Community Connections
Connecting Tasmanians with spinal cord injury and physical disability across the state. ParaQuad Tasmania runs a range of community events including monthly coffee & connection catchups and more.
Our People
ParaQuad Tasmania has a vibrant and dynamic community who have generously shared their knowledge and stories to help others.
Katherine Reed who farms and is Mum to two boys (just to name a couple of things) updates us on where her life is at now, 17 years after her Spinal Cord Injury.
Read the story here.
Alysse Gavlik is passionate about helping people with disability find secure paid employment. “It’s about financial security and self-worth. Everyone wants to be valued equally.” Read the full article here – it includes suggestions on how to talk to potential employers about a disability.
We also chat to Georgie Gott about the benefits she experiences from regular exercise – including via our Wheelchair Sports program. Learn more here.
Rubie Gallagher is also one of our Wheelchair Rugby players who amongst parenting and illustration, also runs a micro flower farm, Rubie’s Blooms. You can listen to her journey to gardening here.
Spinal Cord Injury Prevention
Every year 5 September marks a significant day on the calendar – it’s international Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Day.
It’s marked with ‘the intention of increasing awareness amongst the general public … to facilitate an inclusive life for people with disability and ensure greater chance of success for prevention programs.’
Worldwide an estimated 15.4 million people are living with a SCI. In Australia that number is more than 20 thousand, and between 350 and 400 people acquire a SCI every year.
ParaQuad Tasmania is focused on supporting Tasmanians with SCI in a variety of ways, through internal programs and collaborations with other like-minded associations and professional groups such as schools and universities to raise awareness and prevent spinal cord injury in Tasmania.
International Day of People with Disability
International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) is held on 3 December each year.
IDPwD is a United Nations observed day aimed at increasing public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability.
Please visit the International Day of People with Disability website for more information! https://www.idpwd.com.au/
Road safety for wheelchair users
In 2023, 35 people were killed and 309 were seriously injured on Tasmanian roads. Tasmanian males, aged between 17 and 25 are the most at-risk group of being killed or injured on our roads. Alcohol is one of the major causes of crashes that involve men in this age group*.
People who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices are particularly vulnerable to incidents with traffic in public spaces, such as roads and footpaths.
ParaQuad Tasmania shares the Road Safety Advisory Council’s vision of zero deaths and serious injuries – and their message that ‘we need the community to play its part through responsible behaviour and consideration for all road users.’
ParaQuad has produced two safety videos: find Wheelchair Safety messages for manual wheelchair users here, and safety messages and tips for electric wheelchair users here. The production of these videos was made possible by the Tasmanian Government’s Community Road Safety Grants.
*Statistics from Tasmania’s Road Safety Advisory Council and Tasmanian Government Transport Services.