2 days ago
Framing My Story shows Ballarat's disability pride in words and photos
With her vibrant blue and green hair, Georgia Brain is not exactly trying to hide, but she is not attempting to deliberately stand out either.
She just likes a splash of colour in her life.
But when she is asked to share her story and a photograph of how she sees herself, Ms Brain, who lives with mobility and hearing impairments, is happy to do so.
Along with other people who have disabilities, Ms Brain's story and photographs are featured in the Framing My Story exhibition at Ballarat's Sebastopol Library.
The exhibition, which runs until August 18, opened last month as part of Disability Pride Month.
For the more than 4.4 million Australians living with disability it is a time to celebrate and reflect on what it means to be disabled.
But Ms Brain, who practices karate and uses a walking stick, said that up until recently she "honestly couldn't understand what disability pride was all about".
"Disability pride to me is not hiding my disability nor trying to struggle to fit in," Ms Brain said.
"It's just quietly, and honestly, going about my life my way without apologising over and over.
"There is nothing wrong with me. I am just going to do what I'm going to do because there is no reason for me not to."
Ms Brain said sharing her story as part of the exhibition was a great opportunity for self-reflection.
"Writing the story for me … wasn't just about celebrating me and my story, it was celebrating everyone else's story as well," she said.
The exhibition is particularly important for Ballarat.
The City of Ballarat's 2022-2026 inclusion report found one in six Ballarat residents live with a disability, and 6,000 of those residents have a profound or severe disability.
Organised by disability peer support group Ballarat Working Together and backed by Ballarat City Council, the exhibition showcases the stories of people with disabilities, in their own words.
Musician and disability advocate Tim Sedgwick said being featured in the exhibition meant a lot to him.
Mr Sedgwick, who has self-published a children's book and is making a short film, said the exhibition was another opportunity to show that his disabilities did not limit him but instead gave him a platform to be an advocate for others.
"I wanted to tell people my story and show people this is who I am," Mr Sedgwick said.
City of Ballarat councillor Tess Morgan said disability pride events were a way to acknowledge "that people with disabilities are here, that they have the needs that they have, and that they don't need to hide those needs".
"It might not necessarily mean a celebration as such, but it does mean acknowledging people with disabilities, that we continue to listen and always do better," Cr Morgan said.
Mr Sedgwick and Ms Brain said they hoped sharing their story with their community would spark positive conversations about disability and inspire others to be unapologetically themselves.
