We acknowledged the traditional custodians of the land we're recording on today, Like.
I really hoped in the future people don't see disability as a tragedy or as a negative thing, because from my perspective, I had no control over it. So it's really hard when people think it's a tragedy. And this is just the way I was bored.
Welcome back to Eat, Sleep, Shit, Repeat the Wildly Unhinged Podcast for your Face. I'm Kelly Lee mccaren. You just got your podcast mixed up.
You just said the Wildly Unhinged Podcast for your face. I believe that might be a certain beauty podcast that you were on. This is the Unhinged podcast all about the madness that his mother and atween er.
Wow. Wow, can you tell I've been on holidays? Yes, I Darlet's what's your name?
My name is Kirie Searles. And I was just gonna say unhinged a bit of an understan now, but I don't even think I need to say it because I think we just.
Prove proved it. Whereas I'm like, I've got no idea what podcast recorday is it? In case you missed it.
Last week, we spoke about toxic diet culture and the fact that we grew up possibly daly fucked time we did, and now we're trying to parent.
Oh so we.
Talked about that. I really loved that episode. Did same quick shout out just to rate and review us so we can grow the pod even more.
I feel like I requested that last week and I got like one, So I.
Know that's not lovely, Like we love that person.
Listen, don't say that I'm ungrateful. I love that person, but.
We'd like maybe five to ten more of those. That would be great.
Thank you, because we know that.
You love it because you churning in each week exactly.
Later on in the episode, we have such an important conversation coming up that we have wanted to have probably for a year. We actually spoke to our guest about it about a year ago. She is incredible. But first, I'm up for Peak and Pit. Yeah you are, duh, and it's Bali edition. Woo my pitch. Shall I kick it off to pitch? My year of health isn't going well. It is November.
Yeah, shit, we've got two months left of the year.
Oh no, So I picked up something in the hospital. Surprise, surprise, six weeks ago or two months ago, whenever that was.
That's right, because before you left six hours yeah, yeah, five or six.
Weeks ago, and it turned into a really bad chest infection that I, to be honest, still haven't completely shaken. Like I'm still coughing a fair bit, even though I've done full course of antibody. Yeah, I've had that many cough syrups and blah blah blah. Question. Last night, my back hurts so much from all of the coffee. Yeah, that I had to pull out the big guns with the pain meds.
It packs a punch.
It packs a punch. Do they go off because they say that they expired? But it's like, how could a hard capsule really expire?
Does it just expirey or like best before used by?
I think it says expiry Maybe just means it won't be as effective.
Yeah, I think that'd probably it was it affected No, Yeah.
Anyway, So I've just been in a lot of pain. It's awful being the coughing person because you do not want to be the coughing person.
Yeah.
So for weeks before I was leaving, I had to go into Muma Mia to record, Like I don't want to sit in a studio coughing all over someone because I feel so anxious if someone does that to me. But I could not scream it from the rooftops loud enough. I was not contagious. It's just that I could not get rid of this cough and then being on the plane having the cough. Oh my god. Out at restaurants in Balley, like people just oh the looks fair enough. I would look at someone like that totally.
It's just like you need to wear like a little name time. I've got a chest infection.
I'm not contagious everyone. So I was just feeling a little bit under the weather because of that. Just very sore and sick of coughing. I took my puffer though that actually did help. I was so tired. I slept for ten hours minimum every night, plus an app with Lenny most days. What is that?
Just the heat though, because I do get sometimes on holidays, and the humidity.
It just whacks you. I was absolutely whacked because it was wet, season y, so hot. In our mind, we were like, oh my gosh, after Len goes to bed every night, we'll like go out to the pool, Yeah, have some sex, maybe try to get back on the horse. I was asleep.
You were not on the horse.
I was not on the horse. I also think I have badger miss or whatever that's vagines mess, like my vagina. We did try to have the sex a few times, didn't work.
It does make sense because that is a result of trauma, and I feel like if you've had.
And then when I went to my energy healer, oh oh you went back. I did would She was, well, that's a whole other tail. But she was saying, oh, you've got a lot of trauma. She was dealing with my womb. And then she was trying to get me to do these flutters with my thighs and I didn't even realize, but like I actually clenched them voluntary. I don't even realize that I'm doing it. Like everything down there is very tense. So yeah, I don't know. I've
got to figure that out at some point. And now I've got bloody thrush, I think because it's very itchy even though I didn't have the sex, but I was in the wet swimmers and on the antibiotics.
Fuck, yeah, the thrush gets here, doesn't want itchy? Yeah good, it's not good. You just got to get a little pesrie.
I've got some in the bathroom.
It's very uncomfortable, but it works with trees.
This is just a bit of a moan session basically at this point. And then at the end, I kid you not. So Night four, we ate out at a nice restaurant but outside the resort, and Luke got Bali belly. And I was like absolutely roasting him for the next few days because I just I'm such a bitch. Sometimes. I was like, you've just got a really weak stomach, don't you because you get sick a lot.
It's violent.
It's violent. I'd never been sea overseas. Then, you know, I'm just saying all of this stuff. Well, Karma had some ideas. No, So the next time we decided to eat outside of the resort, who got Barlei belly? Kelly Le, Kelly Lee.
On a scale of one to ten, it.
Wasn't actually that bad because Luke recognized the signs. And then they called shout out Bali Mandeira. If you're looking for a family friendly resort in Bali, so good, pretty reasonably priced. Yeah, the medical came to the room and then they were like, listen, your blood pressures eighty over sixty and you're really dehydrated. We're going to IVU and then also give you the needles to stop everything.
Yeah, and I was.
Like, kind of gashtro stop vibes.
It's the anti noisy, anti cramping, anti vomiting.
Oh wow, okay, that's good.
Yeah, I don't know exactly what it was. I said, oh, I'm not sure I would advise trying to go for the veins. Yeah, it's the needles. And then in my mind, I'm thinking the last time you were in the hospital, my goodness, and then I start spiraling about that. But then I was doing my breath work that my energy healer had taught me. So Luke and LENNI are outside in the pool and they can just hear me inside going practicing my breath work. Wown into a chicken and
then they're looking around for a vein. They're like, you've got nothing. I said, I'm aware, and I'm also dehydrated with the low broad plassure you said, so have fun sled up and then they said, oh, we found one in your hand. I said, oh, good luck. Really wouldn't advise it, but go for gold. And they're putting it in there and I'm ho and then I'm like, here's it done? Is it done? They said no, it keeps collapsing every time we and I just said stop stop.
I will drink a lot of water, I promise. And they said, ah, what about ones in the bum? I said, you can put a needle anywhere else, you like, just not in a vein. Yeah.
I was thinking, why can't they just jab you? Like, does it have to be in a vein if it's an IV or the ivy of course yet, but the other anti nause yet.
Et cetera. They were like, a butt can go in the butt and I she didn't really understand my sense of humor. I asked her if she had a cheek preference. She looked really embarrassed on my behalf and yeah, so listen, I just wasn't that well. But peak was. I have no regrets. Oh my god, Lenny. It was so nice to spend time as a family, even though by the end I was like, get me away from both of you please. Of course you really realize you don't actually get you know, you get an hour break here or
there to go get a massage. Oh, there's a lot of family time yeah, it's a bit too long.
We're in day like.
Four days a week, day, four days a week, and both of us work full time, so we haven't had a date in eight months, let alone ten days non stop. That was fun. It was a bit too long for Luke and Lenny.
How long was it altogether?
Ten days? Yeah, they were, They're about five days, both of them. Very similar personalities. I forgot how good I am. I've been on holidays, you know how lots of people say I just can't switch off so bad, you know, taking a break. I am very good at it. Like I said, slept ten hours a night, read some books. That's what a holiday should be. Though I could not without some emails come through and was.
Like, lol, no, you had your out of office on though, which I.
Did, had my out of still checking it. But I literally could not have given two ships about anything that came through. I think I responded to like one thing, Yeah, but that's so good.
That's what a holiday should be.
Everything for SSR was like scheduled except for one reel which I posted and I was like, oh, so please go and give the Instagram posts some love, like the engagement sucks guys, and I am fucking funny.
Yeah, you do a great job.
I'm so funny. Pregnancy complaints that I posted the one you're the only person sometimes it does. Sorry, listen to this. The complaint is I developed in a version to the smell of my partner. The paired song was then lightning crotch, I'm so funny, so much fluid retention, the Berk's imprinted on the toots, the indignity song choice. I put so much work into song choice, go and put the little bell.
On so then you never miss one.
From little things growl. That was for my cute nipples turned into Pepperoni slices. Listen, I'm not expecting a lot. But when I put so much effort into being fucking funny and scheduling content for you, shit.
Is yeah, while comment, a couple of lolls start the page, so then you get a notification when kel.
When the posts, I mean listen, not all of them. Some of the posts are just like, hey, there's a new episode. But if you're subscribed you should know that anyway, you know. But no regrets, no regrets. I'm great at doing holidays. I love Bali so much, even though Bali belly. But you know you live and you learn I get sick in Sydney. Yeah, it was just a really beautiful trip.
Yeah, and Lenn loved it for.
The first five days. For the first five days, no, then after that he was just so happy to be with us. But he was very much so looking forward to going home and like kept asking to see his cousins and Percy and stuff. He sent me the most beautiful message though, she said that just means he really loves his life. He does, which is so cute. It is whereas I'm like, I could stay here forever. What does that say that you need to go on more holidays? That I definitely need to go on more holidays. Also
shout out BALI is a hub of shitters? What and you bies? Oh my goodness, I met more people over there, or more people messaged me saying hey, saw you in straight or something. Then like I would get in Sydney in a month. Oh my god, that's so excited. It was so fun. I love that and it just made me so happy. Like people say, oh, I'm so sorry to say hello, or so sorry to be weird, or so sorry I am not a celebrity, as I was saying to someone at the airport, like, you know, it's
ten o'clock at night. I'm so unhinged my hair, like I just I'm like hissing at Luke. I'm rolling my eyes and so exasperated with Lenny because he kept throwing something and I was just a mess of a human. And then someone said, hey, I'm a shitter, and she was just so lovely. Had a big old laugh with her and husband, you actually made my day. And as I said to her, because she's like, oh, I didn't know if I should say anything. I'm not a celebrity.
Content creators. We put things out into the world and we don't often get much back.
Yeah, that's such a good point.
So you know how like with a normal job, your boss or your colleagues, or you've got a lot of people that are like, oh my god, loved that or great job, or customers or whatnot. But actually meeting faces rather than just oh this episode got this many downloads or it means the world to put faces to the numbers and meet the community. So please never apologize or never feel like you can't say hello, because it literally makes my day. And I feel like he would say the same thing always.
And Charlie's always liked.
Luke embarrasses me so much. Though he'll call out or was that a fan? It actually was? He goes one time. He actually has done it more than once. He'll be like, do you want a photo with it? And I'm like, he's my biggest cheerleader. I'm like, no, no, no, Luke, I'm not a Kardashian, I'm not even what's an Australian celebrity that I'm not Delta Gudrum, Like, no one wants a photo with me. They just want to say hello. I like the podcast.
Well, remember when I used to run on the beach do Sandy? Sure that was a bullet It was literally three years ago almost, and was like can I get a photo? And I was like, I fuck, looks so banged up and broad right now.
And I was like absolutely, but absolutely. But my face every time I have been asked for a photo is so gleeful, like I'm just so toughed. I can't believe it someone wants a photo with little old me. So it was just so great and I love that so many other shitters were loving the Bali lifestyle question. I don't know if you're going to be annoyed at me for asking you this. What you'll be like, Oh, I'm not the token black lady with the cultural question.
Okay, one of these ones, yeah, go on braids.
Yeah, they're everywhere.
Yeah they are.
And I could not believe how many people in Bali had them. Everyone on the street is offering them. They even wanted to put them in Lenny's hair. And I'm like, bro, has like an inch. That's some sharp skills. If you're going to do a braid in an inch of hair.
It is a bit I get a bit of a oh when I see people do it, But I also understand that it's become like such a norm, like you go to Bali and you get hair braided, So I understand why people do it. I don't think there's any like ill intent behind it, but it does make me feel a certain way because it is cultural appropriation cruit. Yeah, you know, like those islands that you go to like Fiji and things like that, Like it's just a thing that's kind of.
Like these stupid white people. Yeah, and then.
Indonesian people are just offering up something because it's like that kind of experience as well.
And so kids, we've laughed before about my mum. It wasn't you know, we didn't know that it was cultural appropriation back then, but my mum, bless her heart. I think I've told this story on the pod before. Like, my parents were always very good with money and very yeah budgeted, so they were kind of like, we are absolutely not paying for you to get your hair braided, because I remember it was very expensive.
Yeah.
Yeah, So my mum when we would get back from Fiji would spend like three hours doing the braids with the beads and everything on me and my sister's hair so that we could go to school to be obviously we've been in Fiji.
Yeah yeah, but like would rouget braids. It's not something that I would probably let rude it. Okay, she's white presenting, so I wouldn't be getting braids on her.
It would make me feel a bit weird.
Yeah, but no judgment to anyone else. I understand that it isn't with ill and ten, it just doesn't.
It's a bit weird for me because I saw it so often over there, and I just even more so than other times I've been maybe because I was staying in a family friendly area, so it was just like every single kid had braids. But then I was kind of like, also, I actually understand the pros if you've got a daughter with lots of hair on.
My hair was awful on holiday, Like you don't have to do anything to their with the heat.
Yeah, and it never dries, so braids is actually kind of like. But then I guess you could. I saw lots also with just who I reckon they a little Dutch's fine, right, I mean, I still do just appropriate the Dutch. Yeah, are you cranky for me asking you?
Though?
Oh I'm never cranky for you asking as.
Okay, I wanted your perspective on that, and also for anyone listening. I guess it's an thing to think about.
Yeah, definitely, And look, as I said, I don't think people are going to be up in arms about it if.
You do it. I culturally appropriated all of the white bogans and.
Your little shirt.
What did it say? It says it's black with pink neon writing, and it says, don't ask me why I'm drunk. When I don't ask you why you're stupid. It's so good anyway, great trip. I'm clearly in a bit of a rogue mood. I love it though.
I think you've just got like a bit more energy to get through the rest of the year. Like that's so nice, you.
Know, even with my chronic back pain now from the coffee.
I know, I know.
Did you take lots of pics?
You're gonna make him a little book of his first holiday?
I will, but I didn't because I wasn't on my phone much. No content.
That's good though, oh.
Like I suck as a content creator sometimes. But I was like, no, well.
That's why I didn't post any pictures of Europe because there are none of me. I took them all of Charlie.
Yeah, there's heaps. Actually there's not even heaps of land and Luke. Like, I just didn't have my phone on me. Really, that's nice sort and like things because I wanted to show. I knew that I would get DMS about the resort. And the only reason I knew to book there is because I had a friend of a friend say, hey, this resort is perfect for families. So two keeps at that. But like, yeah, I just switched off, Yeah, which is true.
You need to anyway.
Let's get into the episode.
You're out for the day with your kid in toe and suddenly you hear mummy, you answer yes, darling, why can't that lady walk? And all you're thinking is you can't ask that.
I'm sure that many of our shitters have been in a situation like that, or just a situation in general, where someone's your child says something that you just immediately just die a little bit inside. Oh my goodness. Lenny once said what's someone doing? And then the man got closer and it was clearly just a lady, Oh my god, and she heard.
Yeah, that's awful, isn't it, But like he didn't anyway, they don't mean it, they don't mean it. Well, that phrase that I mentioned inspired an award winning series on the ABC, and we're going to link it in the show notes if you haven't seen it.
Oh my god. It's honestly like, I would love to do a podcast series of people dealing with kids because it's such a good show.
It is so good and each episode they basically feature a group of marginalized and misundersood Australians and they're presented with a stack of question cards that have been everyone wants to ask but well, and their anonymous online questions. So people really let it rip, and it's relating to their topic of that marginalized group. So the idea is to kind of ask the most outrageous, uncomfortable questions to uncover the truth behind.
Like what it's actually like for these groups of people.
And spark a bit of compassion and just understanding. It's fantastic. So this series, together with our incredible guest, disability advocate Peter Hook, who will hear from in a minute, has inspired this episode. I wanted to play a piece of audio from series one. It's the episode on wheelchair users, and here's what one of the lovely guests said when asked, why are you in a wheelchair?
I can see a kid on the street pointing me and asking questions to the mom or their dad, and you see the mom or dad sort of saying, you know, don't don't don't point, don't look, don't ask, and they think they're being polite, but really what they're doing is titching their child that my disability and my wheelchair I still think to be ignored.
Gosh, I wonder if you know the answer to that is going up and asking well yeah.
And we do talk to Peter later, who gives us a little bit of insight on that, which I.
Think's really good.
So it is impossible, though to predict what your kids are going to say. But the thing that we have to remember is how we respond on these moments informs the way that your kid will think about disabilities moving forward, Like this is the foundation of how they are going to interact, see, talk about, and understand people with disabilities within the community.
Do you know what though this conversation, because we did record this conversation last week, I needed this conversation even as an adult. So this isn't even just how to talk to your kids. Like I lived with someone for several months. It didn't have an arm or a leg, and not one point did I ask anything about it, because I was like, I don't know, should I should I not? Yeah, And I think the thing I knew him as well wasn't just like a few months living together. I knew him for years.
Yeah.
And you never want to point something out, But I think what's really interesting about actually talking to people with disabilities is like that's their life. They don't want that to be this thing we don't.
Talk about exactly.
It should be addressed anything else about a person. So how can we answer questions and have conversations around disabilities to teach our kids to be more accepting and inclusive of the diverse ways that people show up in the world. The work really begins at home and to help us have these conversations and answer questions, we have the lovely Peter Hook on the show today. Really quick, did you
know that one and five Australians have a disability? Yet many people don't believe that they know anyone with a disability, So we actually pulled that stat from Peter's website. Thank you Pete.
About Peter, she says, to think.
Of her as your friendly girl next door who has a disability. Sarah wil Palsy. She was tired of being asked by strangers on the street, what happened to you? So she created the I Can't Stand podcast. We'll linkering in the show notes to not only answer questions about living with a disability, but to also bring an amazing disabled guest to hear what the life is.
Like for them and their incredible stories. It's such a good podcast.
And Peter even says like she learns so much from other people's stories, so that just shows you how to the stories are from people who live with disabilities, so welcome, Peter.
So what happened to you was the question that inspired you to launch your own pod, the I Can't Stand Podcast? Do you have a story you can share of a real parenting fail when someone's child asked that question in the wild?
Do you know?
Actually, ladies? Most of the time, those are adults asking those questions. So I get it all the time. I'd only have to go out for a coffee and wait for my long black and someone would ask me, oh, what happened to you? So when it's a child, it's like, great, I know how to handle this. Curiosity is a natural thing,
but when it's an adult, it gets really tiring. So I sort of felt like there had to be a more efficient way to educate the public of what it's actually like to be disabled, because clearly there's a knowledge gap there, right.
Yes, yeah, definitely, because I think in these situations, people have the best intentions and asking and even if they're kid us and they have the best intentions of trying to like de escalate the situation, not wanting to kind of embarrass or they don't really know what to say. I think it comes from not understanding what to actually say in the situation. What can parents do in these situations instead, or adults in general, because we're talking to parents and adults.
Well, first and foremost say hello, yes, you know, introduce to yourself, you know, and also.
Don't just storm up to you and go, oh, what happened?
But it's so true, so many people just walk up to you and say, hey, what happened? And it's like, I'm really lucky my disability has no trauma connected to it whatsoever. But that's not the case for everyone. So I really feel for people that get usked that on a daily basis and they have to go, oh, actually, I don't really want to talk about that, So be prepared to, you know, not get an answer that's okay. We don't have did necessarily disclose what happened to us,
say hello. And just when I speak to a child in particular, I change my answer depending on how old the child is, so I'm really cognizant to make sure it's age appropriate. So, for example, if your little ones came up to me, Lenny and Rue, because they're really little, I don't want to make it too much for them to take in I don't want it to be a scary experience or like they shouldn't have asked the question. So I would say to them something like, do you
know what you could walk? And I can't, and that's why I use this really cool thing called a wheelchair, really simple, so.
It's age appropriate descriptions that they're going to understand and not be overwhelmed by.
For sure. I was asked by a seven year old once whether my disability was genetic. I was very impressed with that question. Yes, it's not. For those who don't know, Sarah palsy occurs in the womb or at birth and it's around lack of oxygen. So in my case, I was born at twenty eight weeks, so I was very premature. So I just basically didn't breathe quick enough and that's why I have my disability.
What a fighter though twenty eight weeks?
Yeah? Yeah, But there's so many of us, you know, and that's what I've really learned about through my podcast. I'm really not that special. There's a lot of people that have amazing stories and we just get on with life and a lot of us really love our life and it's not a negative thing like I really hope in the future people don't see disability as a tragedy or as a negative thing, because from my perspective, I
had no control over it. So it's really hard when people think it's a tragedy and this is just the way I was bored.
Yeah, interesting, isn't it. I think often it's like the language and not knowing what to say or how to say. And I think obviously different marginalized or misunderstood groups, the terms and the words that we use evolve over time, and that's something I've noticed with people, just like I feel like because I worked in media for so long, because I have a lot of younger friends who are
very up on correct terminology to be using. I know, like how to describe different disabilities of people that I meet, but I know that when I'm just around my friends sometimes the words that they use, I'm like, oh, that
you can't actually say that anymore. I'm really interested to hear some of the do's and don'ts of disability language because I think that when you're a parent and you get asked this question from your kid, it's important that you get those key words right because often that's kind of forming the foundation of how they're going to go on to understand disabilities for sure.
So first and foremost, I want to put a trigger warning in this section and say, I'm going to say some words that I wouldn't necessarily say, but yeah, educational purposes, I'm going to say them. And if you have any questions of why you shouldn't ask them, like, please let me know. That's why I'm here. First and foremost. I hear it a lot, particularly around and I don't want to be stereotypical, but men still use the word retard a lot. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, even some of my male friends.
I still pull them up and go, oh, we don't say that anymore, you know, So I really try and say, like, instead of using the word retard, maybe use the word silly. Oh yeah, it was really silly of me to leave the keys in the car, for example, Differently abled not great.
I just said that. I think I think I did say that. Just then I caught myself saying it.
Yeah, and like, don't get me wrong, I often will even say the wrong thing, like as somebody who has a physical disability. I'm still learning myself. I had a guest this week actually pull me up on terminology, So don't feel bad about yourself like anything. It's all about learning and being open to people's perspectives. I'm always trying to do better. Yeah, exactly.
I think that's such a good point because if people are scared to ask questions or scared to say things like that means that the conversations just aren't happening. It's better to have them and then learn the correct language or how to do better.
Exactly right. And in the end, I always want to come across as really friendly and I'm always open to people, particularly for me, asking me questions. So that's why I think it's really great to have these open conversations, because, as you say, if we don't talk about it, we don't learn other terms. Confined to a wheelchair also not great. Being referred to as special or unlucky, or I've had parents come up to me and in context with me stating there saying aren't we lucky that we can walk
and we can use our legs? Like oh god. So you know, it's in some ways like I totally appreciate we should all feel privileged for the different abilities that we have, but it's just really trying to be aware. But I also can feel when people are anxious around me and they don't want to say the wrong thing, and then they do. It's like, oh, you're doing a good job, but just take a breath. Yeah.
Yeah.
You can feel the intent behind it's coming from a good place, but you're like, it's okay, take a.
Breath, yeah, exactly. For example, I don't suffer with cerebral palsy. I just have it. It's just I have a disability. So if you're in doubt, say person with a disability or I just like disabled because it's simple, Yeah it is, yeah, yeah, because suffer implies that there's something wrong with you that you will get over. It's negative, it's negative, exactly right.
We know that learning starts at home. So what advice can you give to parents about starting these conversations around people with disabilities? And why is it important? I think that just before you start. I do think that, like the toys and the books and the things that we have for our kids are so much better and so much more than what I ever had growing up. Like I'm just thinking about, you know. In Lenny's Little Lego Duplo, one of his Lego characters has a wheelchair It's.
So great, isn't it. I was so like, I was too old when this came out, but when the disabled Barbie came out in her yes, I was so excited. It's so fantastic to see that form of inclusion. And you know, as you would both know, representation and all different minorities is so vital and it's really great to see, as you say, cal to have different ways that kids can be exposed to disabilities because it is part of life.
You know, we're one in five, so they will likely meet becomes friends with or I love one in their life might have a disability now or might have a disability in the future. So it's really important that you educate them and make them comfortable and make sure that they feel like we're an equal citizen to themselves.
I'll have to put a link up in our show notes because I've got this great book. It's called All About Diversity, and it's just it's a book for kids, but it's just about like how we're all different, and it sort of like answers all different questions around diversity. It's just really good with lots of pictures. Yeah, so that the kids can see that everyone is so different.
For sure, and I will send you a few different books as well.
Please do Yeah, definitely that'll be good.
As we say, I think education is always important and this is no different because I am a visual representation. Because I use an electric wheelchair, it's very obvious that I have a disability. Yeah, don't forget that. A lot of us are interacting with people that have disabilities and it's not obvious. So you can have invisible disabilities too. So both of you probably will know somebody with a disability.
And I know this isn't directly related, but I know cal probably with your relationship with your nanny, Lenny would have a different level of empathy and understanding that he wouldn't otherwise about her different access needs.
Yeah, he does, And I've actually thought about that before when we do, because we go to the aged care home once a week. But it's not just older people. It is some younger people with severe disability and they're in their wheelchair or some of them are actually not even able to be in a wheelchair, like they're actually in bed. So I think that it's really great that
he's exposed to so many different people. And I mean he's almost three, but he doesn't really, he's not even really curious because I guess for him, it's just so normal to see different people all the time.
Kids are taught that disability is wrong or different, inherently, they don't see anything wrong with it at all, because it's just part of the human experience. Homer School was really fantastic for me, and then once we hit high school, it's sort of shifted. You could really feel that shift. So kids don't know that there's anything wrong with disability
as they isn't until they're taught otherwise. So that's why people like me and myself are really tried to make sure that the young people of today don't lose that form of empathy and understanding.
Yeah, definitely, such a good point, and why it's so important to have representation.
Yeah, exactly right. I'm only one person with a disability, so it's really important to make sure we have a lot of diverse voices.
I was gonna ask, what if you could give a couple of examples of invisible disabilities just for people listening.
Sure, so, intellectual disabilities as a whole often is invisible. Anybody with chronic illness autism is a really big one as well, there's lots of different things, things like Crohn's disease is technically considered an invisible disability. There are hundreds, there are a lot.
What's the most common feedback that you get from your pod listeners, able bodied and disabled on the life experiences on the guests?
I think, overall, firstly, how much you can relate to the guest, regardless of whether you have a disability or not. I speak to many different people, and it's not often that I speak to people with cerebral palsy, and I
can still relate to their experience. And I think that's why it's really important to have different stories published, because people realize we're actually not that different, and yes we have disabilities, but we still live life, and I think it's important to make sure that we can all see each other as equal.
I had a sneaking suspicion that that would be the feedback, because I think it always comes down to, like that corny line, I'm probably gonna get it wrong. But there are the things that like unite us. We have so much more in common than we do that separates us, you know, But I think often different things can get in a way. So sharing those stories people realize, Oh, everyone's just living their life in their own way.
And not only that, it often gives me kick up the bomb because I think, my god, what am I doing with my life? There's all these amazing people out there, my goodness, So it just is incredible. There are so many people that are so accomplished in the disability community.
I was just going to ask you a final wrap up question, if you could leave parents listening with one piece of advice when thinking about having conversations with their kids about disabled people.
Well, I would say to them, don't be frightened. There are a lot of resources out there, and it's really not that big of a conversation to have. Disability isn't a tragedy. It shouldn't be framed as a tragedy. It's just part of the human experience. And by doing this, you're making sure your child is going to be a good little human. Isn't that what we all want?
Yeah, definitely, I think you nailed it. Thank you so much for coming on today.
We really appreciate it.
Thanks Key, Thanks Kelly, it's such a pleasure.
Well, thank you so much to Peter. I have just like I can think of all of these other questions that I wanted to ask, and yeah, I might even have to get her back on the poet.
Well, she did say, like, if there aren't any questions that we had or all the shit has had to like, let us know and we'll get her back on to have a little question.
Q and a yeah, well, thank you, thank you, thank you. Please, like we said, rate and review us and we'll be back in your ears next week.
You can find us on socials at Qui Reese and at Kelly Underscore mccaren and at eessr dot.
Pot the one with the funny things.
Yeah, actually, go on star it so you never miss a bloody post. This episode was produced by us You're Crazy Unhinged hosts, with audio production by the not unhinged, very organized and very lovely Mattie Johanna. Bye bye