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Top 10 ListenABLE Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best ListenABLE episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to ListenABLE for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite ListenABLE episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
09/24/23 • 6 min
"Why the Shift 20 Initiative would have changed my life" - Dylan Alcott
Growing up, one thing I struggled with when I turned on the TV, the radio, or picked up the newspaper, was that I didn’t see or hear anybody like me. I saw non-disabled people. The only time I saw people with disability was as a result of a tragic car accident – the person looking sad and helpless in a wheelchair, deterring you from speeding. I used to believe this stereotype was my destiny in life – and it used to break my heart.
For nearly one in five Australians, this is the reality they still live with almost every single day. Because despite there being almost 4.5 million Australians living with disability, we are only represented in one percent of global advertising. One percent.
But with almost 20% of our population living with some form of visible or invisible disability, we make up a significant percentage of the consumer market. We’re eating at Maccas, we’re getting rideshare, we’re wearing undies, we’re opening bank accounts and we’re washing our hair – but right now we can’t see ourselves, and are left out when it comes to representation in advertising.
When it comes to inclusion of people with disability, advertising done properly is listening to those people’s lived experience, but also understanding the massive opportunity of having representation of the whole population in your brand’s work. Being more inclusive for customers is not just the right thing to do, it’s good for business, with recent research by TRA, showing a commitment to representation to be not only socially beneficial, but also economically, with 49% of respondents more likely to purchase from brands showing fair representation for people with disability. In short; when people living with disability see people who look and sound like themselves, not only are they more likely to buy the product or service being advertised, but so too are those around them – mothers, fathers, siblings and friends, who have also been impacted by disability.
We really wanted the inclusion of people with disability to become the norm, which is why, working alongside thirteen of Australia’s most prominent brands, we’ve founded the Shift 20 Initiative.
The Shift 20 initiative demonstrates the importance of visibility on-screen, by encouraging brands to commit to fair representation of disability. Initially, we’re changing a scene within ten of our founding brand’s current ads to include a person with disability, but we hope to go far beyond that, providing resources and consultancy for brands on how to be more inclusive long term. This is all whilst providing opportunities and opening doors for people with disability to be themselves and see themselves on screen, creating employment pathways for people with disability both on-screen and behind the camera.
Seeing people like me on TV would have changed my life, and that’s what is so powerful about this initiative. The talent are not famous people with disability, instead, they’re ordinary people doing ordinary things; eating breakfast, brushing their teeth, going to work and buying insurance.
We hope working in the way we have, valuing the skills and talents of those with disability in the same way we would anyone else, and partnering with the brands who are approaching this with such enthusiasm, we can shift perceptions when society thinks of people with disability. We want people to not only think of gold medal Paralympians or someone in an accident to pity. Instead, we want everyone to see normal people just like them. We want non-disabled kids to watch these ads and see someone with a disability as their equal, and not lesser than. Hopefully, on a wider scale, this will encourage everyone to have a different perspective, so you might then hire someone in your business with a disability or see someone in a bar who is blind or deaf and ask them on a date.
The thing we’d love Australia to learn out of this campaign is that we as people with disability, we shop, we eat, we travel, we work, we’re great talent, we’re just normal people. But only when given the opportunity to be ourselves.
Watch this episode, captioned, on our YouTube:
Join the 10,000+ legends on Instagram: @ListenABLE_ Podcast https://www.instagram.com/listenable_podcast/
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05/28/23 • 37 min
How do you design clothes when you're visually impaired?
Is what you "see" conveyed to the customer?
Nikki Hind has made it her mission to change what fashion represents all over the world by creating a conversation through fabrics.
Having a stroke during her first pregnancy, Nikki lost majority of her eyesight and on this episode of ListenABLE discusses taking on a career that traditionally relies on visual aesthetic and a vision for minuet perfection. Her goal remains of achieving success as a "good designer" without the tokenistic narrative that can be easily placed on disability "not just a good blind designer".
Get an insight into the future of fashion through Nikki’s eyes and watch her break down the barriers of 'prestige' in an elite society by making fashion not just accessible to people with disability but accessible to every body.
Find Nikki here:
Website: https://www.blindgrit.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikki_hind/
Check out this video on YouTube fully captioned:
Join the 10,000+ legends on Instagram: @ListenABLE_ Podcast https://www.instagram.com/listenable_podcast/
Grab our first merch release at our website From Your Pocket https://fromyourpocket.com.au/work/listenable/merch
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
05/14/23 • 36 min
Brad Smeele wrote 500,000 words for his book 'Owning It' USING HIS MOUTH AND A STYLUS! If that isn't a story worth telling then we don't know what is!
9 years after his accident on the water Brad stands 6ft 2 inches, this joke will make sense in the episode, tall today after learning to love himself for who he is.
Make sure you stick around to see the AI generated image of Brad after he gives us a very boastful description of how he physically describes himself today.
Brad's socials:
https://www.instagram.com/bradsmeele/?hl=en
Book Brad to speak at your events:
https://essentialtalent.co.nz/talent/brad-smeele
Buy his book "Owning It"
Read a 5min water safety information that could save yours or someone else life!
Check out this video on YouTube fully captioned:
Join the 10,000+ legends on Instagram: @ListenABLE_ Podcast https://www.instagram.com/listenable_podcast/
Grab our first merch release at our website From Your Pocket https://fromyourpocket.com.au/work/listenable/merch
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
02/12/23 • 42 min
Imagine sending a tweet from your phone and watching the whole world react! It read:
"Hey @lizzo - My disability Cerebral Palsy is literally classified as Spastic Diplegia (where spasticity refers to unending painful tightness in my legs) your new song makes me pretty angry + sad. ‘Spaz’ doesn’t mean freaked out or crazy. It’s an ableist slur. It’s 2022. Do better."
What happens next changed the music heard around the globe. It wasn't just Lizzo who changed her tune, literally, Beyoncé felt the wrath of this incredible disability activist and she's just getting started!
Watch this interview captioned and in full here
Follow Hannah on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/hannahthewildflower/?hl=en
Watch Latecomers on SBS On Demand:
https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-series/latecomers
Check out Hannah's incredible website:
https://www.missingperspectives.com/
Join the 10,000+ legends on Instagram: @ListenABLE_ Podcast https://www.instagram.com/listenablE_podcast
Grab our first merch release at our website From Your Pocket:
https://fromyourpocket.com.au/work/listenable/merch
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
01/08/23 • 27 min
We received an email from an amazing young woman Kyra Culloton who felt that young adults with disability weren't being represented enough on the podcast. So we invited her to host her own episode! Kyra talks to Enzo who has Progeria; an extremely rare, progressive genetic disorder that causes children to age rapidly and Beau who was born with Morquio A syndrome.
We hope you enjoy this episode and if you want to see and hear more of these episodes then please leave a thumbs up 👍
Join the 10,000+ legends on Instagram: @ListenABLE_ Podcast https://www.instagram.com/listenable_podcast/
Grab our first merch release at our website: https://fromyourpocket.com.au/work/listenable/merch
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
09/04/22 • 39 min
Dating in your 20’s is hard enough - thanks to COVID everyone’s lost it when it comes to flirting.
Part of this awkward pool is 23-year-old Maya, a strong independent, successful model navigating the world of ableism along with weeding out those that can’t get past her wheelchair.
Dylan and Angus deep dive into Maya’s life about the literal stairs she’s had to climb in order to see the world as any other able-bodied person. The guys speak with Maya about;
- Her top 3 international travel hacks.
- Whether her breast reduction was for vanity or medical reasons.
- Her definition of true beauty as someone who works in the modelling industry.
- The worst EVER Tinder message she's received (prepare yourself).
- Her "checklist" for a partner.
- And the truth about her greyhound Maggie could get the whole team in trouble.
Watch Maya on 'We are Sexual Beings' available on SBS on Demand
Follow Maya on Instagram here: @d.maya___
Watch this interview captioned and in full here
Join the 10,000+ legends on Instagram: @ListenABLE_ Podcast
Grab our first merch release at our website From Your Pocket
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
06/12/22 • 37 min
They say you shouldn't meet your heroes and for once it's Angus copping the praise from 19 year-old Seb Steel from South Australia who laced up his footy boots alongside Angus a few years ago.
Seb was involved in a forklift accident at his fathers business that saw him only 6 weeks before recording this interview decide to amputate his leg for a "better quality of life".
This interview is raw, fresh and also talks about mental health and suicide at the 33 minute mark.
Lifeline is a national charity providing all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention ... call 13 11 14
To follow his story check out his instagram @Seb_Steel
Follow us on Instagram: @ListenABLE_ Podcast
Grab our first merch release at our website From Your Pocket
Watch this full interview with captions on our Youtube
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12/12/21 • 35 min
Chris Blowes should not have survived the great white shark attack in 2015 that took his leg. He lost so much blood that he was in cardiac arrest by the time he got to hospital, and stayed in a coma for the next 10 days. In this chat with Angus O’Loughlin and Dylan Alcott he tells the harrowing story of the attack, the power of friendship and his miraculous survival, plus his later battle with the SA government to keep the shark tooth that almost took his life. You don’t want to miss our final episode of 2021, it is an absolute ripper!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
07/25/21 • 45 min
Dressage horse-riding, or as Dylan says "dancing with a horse", sounds hard enough.. but imagine trying to do it without any forearms or hands! How do you hold the reigns?!?! That’s what 17-year-old Abigail Vidler does with the help of some special equipment, and she’s so good at it she hopes to compete in the 2024 Paralympics. In her spare time she’s also completing her Year 12 studies, getting her driver's license (yep with no hands)... all in the middle of a pandemic. Yeah, we feel lazy too.
Instagram: @abigailvidler
You can learn more about Riding for the Disabled at www.rda.org.au
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
10/15/23 • 32 min
2 in 5 women with disability in Australia have experienced physical/domestic violence after the age of 15.
That's 1.2 Million Australian's with disability who don't have the correct resources or support to get the help that they need compared with 1.7 million without. Founder of 'Sitting Low, Reaching High' and disability advocate Mel Harrison helped a service open the first refuge for women in New South Wales in March 2021 to help curb this statistic.
Having a Spinal Cord Injury since she was 14 and being diagnosed as Hard of Hearing since she was 25, Mel pushes her limits travelling Australia, as the first Wheelchair User to compete in the 'Shit Box Rally', raising money by driving and camping across the Outback with very limited resources.
Wait till you hear about the toilets... or lack of!
But how far can Mel really push herself before it comes too much? Listen now to find out
Please note in this episode there is Discussion around Domestic Violence. If you do feel like you need support after this episode, please look at the following resources: https://www.lifeline.org.au/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sittinglowreachinghigh/
Website: https://sittinglowreachinghigh.com/
Check out our podcast on YouTube with captions here:
Check out the new 11 part podcast series about Accessible Tourism: 'Accessed That'
https://www.queensland.com/au/en/things-to-do/traveller/accessibility/accessed-that-podcast
Join the 10,000+ legends on Instagram: @ListenABLE_ Podcast https://www.instagram.com/listenable_podcast/
Grab our first merch release at our website From Your Pocket https://fromyourpocket.com.au/work/listenable/merch
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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FAQ
How many episodes does ListenABLE have?
ListenABLE currently has 158 episodes available.
What topics does ListenABLE cover?
The podcast is about Society & Culture and Podcasts.
What is the most popular episode on ListenABLE?
The episode title 'Melanie Dimmitt (Parent to Arlo with Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy) | #94' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on ListenABLE?
The average episode length on ListenABLE is 29 minutes.
How often are episodes of ListenABLE released?
Episodes of ListenABLE are typically released every 8 days.
When was the first episode of ListenABLE?
The first episode of ListenABLE was released on Feb 26, 2020.
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