About the Speakers

Hannah Diviney – Writer, Actress and Media Personality

Hannah Diviney is a writer, disability advocate,  actress, screenwriter, speaker, author and media personality. Her disability advocacy has garnered global attention thanks to both a viral petition encouraging Disney to create a disabled Disney Princess and a successful campaign encouraging both Lizzo and Beyonce to change ableist lyrics. Her debut book, I’ll Let Myself In, a collection of personal essays chronicling what it means to come of age in a world not built for you was released in 2023.

As a writer, her work has appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, Mamamia and The Guardian among others. She’s the former Editor in Chief of global grassroots media company, Missing Perspectives which she also co-founded, dedicated to platforming and making space for the lived experience of women and girls around the world.  As if that wasn’t enough, she’s also an actor having made television history as the first disabled person in Australia to do a sex scene on television, thanks to SBS digital originals series, Latecomers. She made her feature film debut in SXSW premiere pick, Audrey. She’s also one of only a handful of people with disabilities to have ever addressed the National Press Club of Australia across its 60+ year history.

Robin M Eames – Poet and Historian

Robin M Eames is a queercrip poet and historian living on Cammeraygal land. Their work has been published in Overland, Australian Poetry Journal, Raging Grace, and Health & History, among others. They are a proud unionist with the NTEU, a grassroots organiser and cofounder of the Disability Justice Network Australia and Crips for Palestine Australia.

Dr Ayah Wehbe – Social Researcher

Dr Ayah Wehbe is a social researcher focused on disability, deafness, and diversity. She recently graduated from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), for her PhD thesis titled ‘intersectional experiences: identity and belonging of Australian Muslim women with deafness in Sydney’. Ayah worked at the Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC) at UNSW Sydney, as well as other inclusive disability research projects. She currently offers public speaking, mentoring, and consultations. Ayah also has over ten years’ experience in community volunteering and collaborating with diverse groups to raise awareness and improve access for people with deafness/ disability, particularly from religious and diverse backgrounds. She often shares her perspectives as an Australian Muslim woman with deafness through her work, publications and social media.

Maeve Marsden – MC

Maeve Marsden is the Creative Director of Varuna the National Writers’ House and the Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival. A writer and theatremaker, she has presented work at major festivals and venues across Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Maeve is perhaps best known for producing Queerstories, a national storytelling project that has brought more than 500 LGBTQI+ writers to stages around the country, with a collection published by Hachette in 2018.

Accessible Arts is proudly supported by Create NSW and this Hybrid Event Series has been made possible with support from the City of Sydney, Campbelltown Arts Centre and Livecrowd.

ENDS

Image description: A group of five people smiling outside Campbelltown Arts Centre, including Accessible Arts CEO Liz Martin, event panelists Hannah Diviney, Dr Ayah Wehbe and Robin M Eames, and MC Maeve Marsden. Photo by Rob Studdert.