Nas Campanella

Disability Affairs Reporter ABC

Nas Campanella is the ABC’s National Disability Affairs Reporter. Nas is totally blind and has a neurological condition called Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) which means she can’t read Braille. After completing a Communications degree at the University of Technology Sydney, majoring in journalism she started with the ABC as a cadet. Nas has worked as a regional reporter in south eastern New South Wales and then as a triple j newsreader for seven years. In taking on this role, Nas became the first blind newsreader in the world to read and operate the studio for herself live to air. In 2020 she was appointed to the senior national Disability Affairs role.

Nas travels the world to speak at events, helping to motivate people on issues ranging from inclusive education, adaptive technology, accessible travel and the importance of empowerment and leadership for women. Now also a proud mum to her son, Nas also shares her experiences navigating motherhood as a parent with disability. As well as working in the area of policy development in Australia and across the Pacific, Nas has volunteered abroad creating disability awareness training programs for the United Nations and has held several board positions in the disability sector.

Nas is a freelance writer, MC and mentor and is an ambassador for three organisations; The Centre of Perinatal Excellence, , Motivation Australia and the Royal Institute For Deaf and Blind Children.

Buy Tickets

Her Excellency, the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC

Governor-General of Australia

Ms Sam Mostyn AC was sworn in as Australia’s 28th Governor-General on 1 July 2024. 

A businesswoman and community leader, Ms Mostyn is known for her exceptional service to the Australian community. She has a long history in executive and governance roles across diverse sectors, including business, sport, climate change, the arts, policy and not-for-profit.

Her Excellency is also a patron of Bus Stop Films.

Buy Tickets

Carly Findlay OAM

Disability Advocate and Writer

Carly Findlay OAM is an award-winning writer, speaker and appearance activist.She also works part-time as Access and Disability Lead at Melbourne Fringe.Her first book, a memoir called Say Hello, was released in Australia in January 2019. She also edited Growing Up Disabled in Australia with Black Inc Books, released in February 2021.

She received an Order of Australia Medal for her work in disability advocacy and writing in 2020.Carly works part time as Melbourne Fringe's Access and Disability Lead. She writes on disability and appearance diversity issues for news outlets including CNN, ABC, The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, and SBS. She was a finalist in Marie Claire’s Women of the Year Awards in 2023, and named as one of Australia's most influential women in the 2014 Australian Financial Review and Westpac 100 Women of Influence Awards.

She has appeared on You Can’t Ask That, The Project and The Cook Up, and has been a regular on various ABC radio programs.

She has spoken at the Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Writers Festival, the University of Western England and Melbourne University, to name a few. She organised the history-making Access to Fashion, a Melbourne Fashion Week event featuring disabled models.

Carly has a Masters of Communication and Bachelor of eCommerce. Carly identifies as a proud disabled woman - she has Ichthyosis and has survived Ovarian and Endometrial Cancer. She lives in Melbourne, Australia.

Buy Tickets

Sam Martin

Deaf filmmaker and researcher Sign on Screen

Sam Martin (he/him) is a Deaf, Queer director, creative producer, writer, consultant and Access Coordinator working across film, television and theatre. A graduate of AFTRS with a BA in Screen: Production, he has directed short, award-winning short documentaries broadcast nationally and screened internationally. He is also one of the first qualified Access Coordinators in Victoria, having trained with Bridge06 and worked in the role on a major production for seven months. Sam also is currently an MPhil candidate with ANU’s Sign on Screen project, exploring Deaf "Voice” in documentary filmmaking.

Buy Tickets

Ronan Soussa

Bus Stop Films Participant Ambassador, disability advocate

Ronan is a young man who lives with Autism. He resides in Sydney with his parents, older brother and the two family cats.

His early years were filled with frustration and confusion however with the dedicated support of his parents, family and friends he now lives a happy and very busy fulfilled life.

Ronan proudly graduated from high school in 2017 and has now moved into the world of employment which he finds very rewarding.

He is passionate about promoting inclusiveness, advocating for people living with autism and spreading positivity.

He is a proud Ambassador for both the Autism Community Network and Bus Stop Films.

Ronan loves to experience new things and has many interests and hobbies, some of which are;  a passion for motor racing including working at the race track, playing piano and tuba, drama, modelling, voiceover, karate in which he has achieved a black belt, and learning about film making.  Just as importantly to him are the fun times he spends with the friends he has made through social support groups.

Four years ago Ronan dipped his toe into the world of dating, appearing as a participant on ‘Love on the Spectrum’ through which he has met someone who is now a special person in his life. 

Buy Tickets

Emma Myers

Screenwriter, Actor, Journalist and Disability rights advocate

She is the co-creator and writer of the critically acclaimed SBS Digital Originals’ series Latecomers, which won a Screen Producers Australia Award as well as the Screen Diversity and Inclusion Award in 2023, and the AACTA Award for Best Online Comedy or Drama in 2024.

Emma's career highlights include participating in Screenworks Inside The Writers Room program, serving on Screen Australia’s Gender Matters Taskforce, and speaking at the National Young Writers’ Festival and TEDX Sydney. Emma is also the inaugural disability rights and political reporter for Powerd Media, where she amplifies the voices of people with disabilities within Parliament. She was awarded ABC's Regional Storyteller Scholarship and has two years’ experience working as a Features Reporter for ABC News.

Through her work, she aims to address the community's concerns directly with policymakers and use storytelling as a tool to change perceptions of disability. Emma believes it’s crucial to challenge societal misconceptions about disability, particularly around topics like relationships and intimacy, where people with disabilities are often misunderstood or overlooked. Through her work in journalism and screenwriting, she aims to shift these perceptions.

Buy Tickets

Dr Jenny Crosbie

Interim Director, Centre for Inclusive Employment

Jenny has over 35 years experience in the disability sector, primarily working in employment services in direct service, management, policy and research roles. Her PhD focused on the experience of young people with intellectual disability as they transitioned from school to work. Jenny is currently the Interim Director of the Centre for Inclusive Employment.

Buy Tickets

Bridie McKim

Actor, Advocate and Access Coordinator

Bridie is a NIDA graduate and has worked on screen productions such as The Heights, Bump, Christmas Ransom, Dive Club, Irreverent, and Joe Vs. Carole. This year, Bridie appeared in the Ensemble Theatre’s production of The Glass Menagerie. She is passionate about reducing the barriers faced by people with disability, so that everyone has the opportunity to perform at their best. Bridie works as a screen access coordinator within the screen industry. She is also an access and inclusion consultant for disability inclusion consulting firm Get Skilled Access, founded by Dylan Allcott. 

Buy Tickets