I obtained a spinal cord injury several years ago which sees me getting around on 4 wheels instead of 2 legs! My injury hasn't stopped me from making the most out of this beautiful life. I love travelling and having adventures!

My SCI journey began on the last day of grade 12 at the age of 17 when I went for a celebratory swim at Southbank, Brisbane and broke my neck at vertebrae C5. My world changed at this point in my life and whilst in the hospital, recovering from my injury, my family and I learnt a lot, however, once I was released from the hospital it was such a big learning curve for us.

Over the last 29 years, I have done public speaking at universities, conferences, fundraisers, and within healthcare settings. I also work part-time, travel, attend the gym and volunteer as a peer support mentor for the newly injured and their families.

Since my accident, I have become an advocate for disability awareness and my goal is to help people and their families who are in similar situations as well as healthcare professionals.

Assistive Technology allows people to be independent and is helpful however, the items can be very expensive and bespoke, giving these items an exorbitant price tag, making them out of the price range for the general population. 

With the price of these items, the quality behind these products is not equal to the price tag at the end of the day. For example, I have a chopping board that has a few thin, short spikes and a corner guard, but it is not user-friendly – for example, the border guard is not tall enough to support a piece of bread should I want to butter it and the spikes are too short to hold the likes of a potato or an apple if I need to chop or peel it, I find it just rolls off the spikes completely. Therefore, this item has become redundant and a waste of money and/or funding.

Whereas I currently have my GoPro and use Apple’s Siri AT, which is more user-friendly. I can sync between all Apple devices allowing for easy upload, editing and exporting, all completed seamlessly.

Assistive Technology has advanced greatly over the past 29 years, allowing everybody to have access to otherwise impossible daily tasks or lifestyle choices. This allows us all to live more independent lives.

We need to bring the price point back into the question also; certain items need to have a more realistic price range and incorporate user-friendly and tried and tested options, because, over the years, plenty of items have gone into the back of the cupboard, collecting dust or straight to donation as I cannot use them.

About the author

Lindsay, who was born and grew up in Brisbane, Australia, obtained a spinal cord injury several years ago which sees him getting around on four wheels instead of two legs. His injury hasn’t stopped him from making the most out of what he refers to as "my beautiful life". Lindsay's journey began on the last day of grade 12 at the age of 17 when he went for a celebratory swim at Southbank, Brisbane and broke his neck at vertebrae C5. Over the last 28 years, Lindsay has done public speaking at universities, conferences, fundraisers, and within healthcare settings. He also works part-time, travels, attends the gym and volunteers as a peer support mentor for the newly injured and their families. Lindsay is an advocate for disability awareness and his goal is to help people and their families who are in similar situations.