PossABLE Ideas Expo

Published in 'Newslink', Headstart ABI Service; June 2013. 

OVER the 3^rd and 4^th of May, Newcastle Entertainment Centre was a hub of activity. The occasion was the 2013 PossABLE Ideas-expo, an important disability event. 

About a hundred stalls showcased recreation, services and aids for people with a disability. Some showed state-of-the-art prosthetics bearing joints controlled by computer chips. Others showed what life was like for the visually impaired, thanks to GuideDogs NSW. Or individuals could rumble about on the make-shift court area and try out wheelchair basketball.

MPs Tim Owens and Andrew Constance opened the event. They were joined by comedian Tim Ferguson, who spoke frankly about his battle with multiple sclerosis, likening it to trench warfare. “I just keep throwing grenades (at the disease) and keep hearing them go off,” he joked.

Designed and decorated by a local artist, the corner furthest from the main entrance  housed the Rave Lounge, Here various personalities engaged the audience and told their personal story. Athlete David Hall talked of his successes in wheelchair tennis; another remarkable individual, Libby Levey, spoke of her struggles post-stroke for the past decade. 

‘It was a really good expo,’ said Andrew from Headstart, ‘and it’s great to see there are groups that provide holiday experiences for disabled people.’

Angela, one of the organisers, sang similar praises. ‘It came together really well,’ she said, ‘and we feel we really achieved our aims.’