The I Can't Stand Podcast

I hope that The I Can’t Stand Podcast is helping non-disabled people better understand what it means to live with a disability. 🙌

People with hidden or invisible disabilities are a part of the disability community. 👏

For me and my disability, the hidden stuff is the hardest. Recognition of hidden disabilities is really important. If you want to listen to the episode the link is in my bio. 😘

Image description: A white background with the following quote from this weeks' episode. "Just because a person doesn't have obvious aspects of their disability does not devalue their disabled ness. They shouldn't have to prove their disability to anyone because the invisible stuff is often the hardest to deal with." -Peta Hooke The I Can't Stand Podcast.

How can people understand us if we are invisible? 😕

When one in five Australians have a disability, why are we hardly represented in the media?
Understanding the portion of people living with a disability; why aren’t we given the opportunity to be seen? 🤔

Don’t get me wrong with the invention of social media, we now can make ourselves and other people in our community visible but the mainstream media needs to catch up.

Many people with disabilities are hungry to show the truth of our lives, to help other people disabled people and educate society.

I think society also is hungry for their media to be reflective and be fresh again.

Why can’t people with disabilities be allowed to share our stories, the full picture of us, rather than someone for people to pity?

New episode in bio. 🔗

Image description: The text states Why is media representation important? Shows an image of a person watching tv with a photoshopped image of The Bachelorette and a small image of Peta in her wheelchair.

Tomorrow is the day, the is on!

You can watch it on and the 7+ app just like the .

Follow the Aussie team

Those classifications can be confusing I’ve linked an article in my bio that decodes everything.

Linda Smith Swerdlow is truly extraordinary and not just because she is a Black Belt 🥋

After a life-altering car accident, in 2013, resulting in a lifelong disability she doggedly refused to accept the low expectations her doctors had for the rest of her life.💪

Now a passionate disability advocate Linda is determined to improve the mobility and quality of life for all people with physical disabilities through the development of a unique mobility aid. 👩‍🦯

To listen to our chat, the link is in my bio or it can be found Apple, Google and Spotify podcasting platforms.

This is why this weeks’ episode is so important

The link to this episode is in my bio.

Do you agree with me? Let me know in the comments.

Image description: A black and white title with a photo of a woman in a wheelchair with a quote from The I Can’t Stand Podcast this week. The quote states, “Ableism confirms to society that having a disability is a tragedy… that we should be happy if we just got out of bed because that is so inspirational for someone with a disability”.

I'm going to be super honest. I'm nervous putting this episode out. 😟

Not only because it is such an important topic but because I know I have been ableist in the past. 🙈

The link is in my bio to go have a listen. minutes long gives you an introduction to a topic that is really complex.

We all stuff up and make mistakes occasionally. Like you, people with disabilities can make mistakes because we are all human at the end of the day.

So don’t feel bad or intimated by this weeks topic. I’ve learnt a lot researching for it and I hope you will too.

The link is in my bio to go have a listen. minutes long, gives you an introduction to a topic that is really complex.

Without a willingness to be open to new perspectives and to learn we can’t get better.

The link is in my bio to go have a listen. 🔗

Image description: A black and white tile with symbols of different disabilities in the background. The text states: What is ableism?”

Should the Paralympics and the Olympics be combined or amalgamated? 🤔

That was the question that spurred me on to have Paralympian Elle Steele on the podcast this week. 🥳🤩

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I only know what it is like for me to live with a disability. I only can speak from my perspective. So it is only right that we also hear from other disabled people about what it is like to live with a disability from their perspective.

It was such a fun chat and I learnt a lot.

It was fantastic to hear Elle’s perspective of being an athlete to a rockstar businesswoman and how her disability is so intertwined in both chapters of her life. Link in my bio to listen to the episode.

Aren’t we all dreaming of all the music, dancing (and drinks) at all the festivals and events we will go to post covid? The magic time when we are allowed to actually LEAVE the house. Paint the town red and put the P in PARTY!

Even if you’re more of an introvert at you want to go to a book writers festival or dress up at Comic-Con; it doesn’t matter because there is an event for everyone. Which means….

(You guessed it) Festival and event managers/ planners need to make their event accessible to everyone.

But how does someone with a disability attend a festival? Trust me there is a lot of hurdles and challenges for accessibility at events and festivals. Like a lot.

They are another thing that people with a disability tend to miss out on. Many in the industry I believe don’t even think about the disability community when planning an event.

This weeks’ episode of the I Can’t Stand podcast is a guide of what makes a festival accessible. So grab your morning coffee or water, or tea or beer or whatever and check out the episode now. The link is in my bio.

☝️This☝️ Made me so happy. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Whistlebone. You are the gem of a human in my books.

I created the I Can't Stand podcast to educate you on what it is like to live with a disability. But as I continue to receive more and more of your questions, I'm actually learning a lot about myself.

Apparently the fact that I do dream with the ability to stand, walk and run is unusual for someone who gained their disability at birth.

It makes sense that for people who acquired their disability later in life and they could once walk; that that could experience the ability still in their dreams.

Not unlike many people my dreams feel very real. So sometimes when I open my eyes in bed in the morning, I have to remind myself myself in my dreams are not my reality. Not a reality that is bad, just different.

Do you think I can walk in my dreams while I'm asleep?😴 Do I run from monsters in my nightmares?
Well you'll have to listen to my latest episode for the podcast to find out 😉
What I will tell you is I have realised that my dreams are quite unique for someone with a disability...

I really loved learning about what it is like to live with a disability in other countries on the podcast this week. I know sometimes I forget to look at how other countries help their citizens with disabilities live better.

If you haven't listened to this week's podcast yet check it out.

Image description: A quote from this weeks episode of the I Can't Stand Podcast " I think it's important [sometimes] to look from a global perspective to see how we can best improve [life with a disability].

It's important to have a [highier] level of understanding, giving insights so we can best encourage our governments to improve in certain areas".