Eight Border residents with disabilities will be sharing their stories with an audience on Sunday, as they take to the stage as part of a submission to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability.
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Performer Kate Fiedler said her story was about the challenges she'd experienced with mobility aids and lack of assistance from the NDIS.
"I feel like those challenges need to be heard by people who are making those policies and procedures," she said.
"There's not many people with a disability or a lived experience of disability that are making those decisions and I think that's a huge flaw that needs to be addressed."
Ms Fiedler is also hoping to share her story with the wider Border community and to show other residents with disability what they can achieve.
"I am hoping that on a more ground level that the community that comes along on Sunday can hear our stories and then help us implement certain things within the community," she said.
"I think a lot of them aren't aware of what challenges we come up against and so therefore if they hear about it they can help us, and instead of us being the advocates for ourselves all the time, which is tiring, to get the community and those people that are around us all the time to become more involved in that process as well.
"I want people to see, especially if there's anyone in the audience with a disability that things are possible ... I have been told I can't do things because of my wheelchair or my disability, but I guess I'm here to say well this is what I've done, it's not easy, but if you've got these plans in place you can achieve things.
"People with a disability aren't always given the hope of opportunity, we're sort of told in a sense to settle for a certain level of independence or a certain level of living and I think we can push those boundaries."
People with a disability aren't always given the hope of opportunity, we're sort of told in a sense to settle for a certain level of independence or a certain level of living and I think we can push those boundaries
- Kate Fiedler
Border resident Carly Jensen said she will also be performing on Sunday, after being inspired by disability advocate and tennis champion Dylan Alcott.
"It's shown me that a lot of disabled people at the moment feel as though they're not being treated as normal," she said.
Ms Jensen said her performance would focus on her experience of feeling ripped to shreds by the NDIS during reporting and review periods.
"You get encouraged by how far you've come you, you've been working on certain skills and things like that and then the NDIS review comes up and the reports come in and all that sort of stuff and within one hour they've ripped you to shreds and it's not fair," she said.
For NDIS participants to receive funding they must submit reports to a review every 12 months looking at their progression, however, Ms Jensen said the reviews tended to focus on what participants couldn't do, which allowed them to still get their funding, but was discouraging.
Disability production company This Is My Brave Australia has been coordinating the performance with funding from Relationships Australia, Canberra.
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TIMBA executive officer Tim Daly, who has facilitated the performance, said there show was uplifting, though a little hard to hear in some parts.
"The best part about it is that they never get to tell their stories in front of an audience and hear that applause for sharing their stories," he said.
"That's the real difference in this event, that people will appreciate the fact that they're sharing their stories, which is great for the storyteller, but also great for people to learn about people with disabilities and what obstacles are in their way and what things can change."
Mr Daly said having the Royal Commission submission in the form of theatre instead of a written or spoken presentation would have a different impact.
"Hopefully it catches their ear and their eye, because they'll be sitting there listening or reading a lot of reports and this is a little bit different to that," he said.
"Everyone who's ever been to the theatre knows that the impact of theatre can be emotional at the same time, so you don't just get the written words you get the emotion from the person who's delivering that story.
"The stories are very powerful, so we hope that it has that impact on the Commissioners from the Royal Commission."
Mr Daly noted the strength of the performers.
"They've got some obstacles in their life, but they're very upfront and they're strong people, they haven't let things get them down and they've grasped the opportunity for them to be heard," he said.
"That's the main thing, they feel like they're not heard usually when they go out there, whether it be to a doctor or a support service, and this is a chance for them to be in the spotlight and have their voices heard."
To buy tickets go here.
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