Powerd NewsWrap 18th March 2026

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Welcome to a Vision Australia radio podcast. Love our podcasts. Why not listen to us live? Tune in anywhere, anytime, ask your smart device to play Vision Australia radio, or visit va radio.org

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on the Vision Australia and reading radio networks. This is the Powerd news, rap G'day. I'm Sam Rickard, it's the 18th of March, 2026 we're reading articles from the Powerd dot media website, and of course, joining me is the writer of these articles. Emma Myers, hello, Emma. Hello,

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Sam. I thought it was more sensible of the sisters to do it for themselves. Anyway.

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This week we have a sort of a negative story, and we're going to finish with a positive story. So let's start with straws and restaurants. Yes, my favorite topic, my pit peeve of all pet peeves, the straw debate. So where do we start with this one? I mean, on the surface, it's a great idea to get rid of plastic straws, because they end up in landfill, and even I've seen a number of them on the ground, causing problems and looking unpleasant, but they actually do perform a specific function for certain people with a disability. Yeah, that's right, Sam. And the overall issue here is a everyone got on the bandwagon of banning plastic straws, but the thing is, they only took up 0.025%

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of all plastic waste, and when you think about that in the broader context of things, it's not that much in the way of plastic pollution, and it really, really made life difficult for people with disabilities who rely on plastic stores to be able to consume liquids, and when people say there's sustainable alternatives, they're not actually sustainable for people with disabilities that can actually cause harm. The thing of course, that spoke to me was this was enhanced by one of the staff in the restaurant she was in wanting to make an issue about it. But this is the thing with this woman's story, she did bring her own and separated her for bringing her own straw, indeed. And yeah, I think this is going to be one of those things we hear a little bit more of, unfortunately, because, yeah, there was a decision made that didn't quite take in the ramifications, and it's very easy to fix, really. Anyway, We now cross to Helen Slade with the news, a prominent figure in the disability sector has called out a cafe after experiencing backlash from an employee for using their own straw in a public venue. Lawyer, fashion designer and disability advocate Carol Taylor has been a quadriplegic for the last 25 years. She says it's a medical requirement for her to consume three liters of water each day, everything must be drunk through a straw. I find it challenging to take medication with a straw that doesn't have a bend. If you're lying in almost flat and need to take medication, you can't reposition a glass straw, but you can reposition a plastic one. The disability advocate recalls an instance in which a young waitress tried to prevent her from using her own straw in a public cafe. I was sitting with a group of people. She wouldn't have seen that I was in a wheelchair, but you can't always tell that my hands are paralyzed. Miss Taylor explains, they the disability community certainly shouldn't have Gen Z challenging their patrons that bring their own plastic straws. I was very quick instance to educate that young lady. I was very pleasant about it, but she was very unaware of the importance of plastic straws to people with disability. The lawyer believes that there should be an exemption for people with disabilities and that the owners should be on venues to accommodate and provide equal access to drinks in the same way they provide equal access to bathrooms. I think it was a bit of a knee jerk reaction to ban plastic straws, because people with disability depend on them. According to National Geographic, plastic straws are estimated to constitute just 0.025%

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of the total plastic waste that flows into the ocean, compared to the estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic that enters the marine environment every year.

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If you consider how many times an able bodied person would reach for a straw in their wig, then consider how often a person with disability reaches for one, I think it's been a gross overreaction and a distraction to the real issue of pollution in our oceans. The lawyer claims many alternatives, such as paper, metal, glass and bamboo straws may seem feasible, but for people with disability, these materials pose a different kind of risk. For people that don't have the mobility having a straw that can bend, there's so much benefit to be had from that. Miss Taylor explains, I can't drink my coffee through a paper straw, and metal straws are dangerous. I use glass straws, but I've broken them. I don't have feeling in my arm, and I have cut myself. However, there has been some positive movement recently with the availability of a new kind of alternative to the plastic straw. It's a foldable metal straw with a bendy, replaceable silicon tip. According to the stretch me company, a start up based in Sydney, founded by Diana gilgorod, the straw was created out of disgust for boring, unpalatable echo options. In a statement on their website, they claim the straw makes hydration fun and fashionable by glamorously irreusables With cheeky main character energy that feel like your favorite party trick. As Miss Taylor, she continues her hunt to find an acceptable alternative. I have not found any alternative that gives me the same freedom as the good old plastic straw thrill seekers with disability looking to participate in physically demanding outdoor activities can now do so thanks to an innovative team of pioneers operating in the picturesque Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains climbing school boasts climbing, canyoning, AB sailing and Bush walking navigation activities, many of which have been adapted to suit the needs of people with varying disabilities. One of the owners and the lead guide at the Blue Mountains climbing school, Hugh Ward, explains that it's the way the team has always run their exhibitions. Everybody comes to us because they're needing some assistance to interact in a way that's safe and comfortable for men with outdoors our job is to work out where they're up to where they want to be and help them bridge that gap. Our accessibility products are just a continuation of that.

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The adaptive adventure company was presented with the 2025 excellence in accessible tourism award by the New South Wales Tourism Association celebrating the environmental modifications they have put in place to provide visitors with disability with an equal opportunity to participate in activities at their own pace.

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Mr. Ward explains that going to a less crowded area so people with sensory disabilities feel more comfortable, or providing a custom designed roping activity for wheelchair users to be able to get out of their chair onto the rope and return to their wheelchair in a different location, allows visitors the freedom to enjoy themselves. It could be that a private family group comes out with us, or it could just be one single person wants to come out and go climbing and AB sailing. He says one of the participants earlier in the year said to one of the other people that had been the best experience they'd had since their accident. That was quite powerful. We realized we were doing something that was a little extra benefit to just our ordinary guiding according to the Australian sporting alliance for people with a disability, 14% of adults with disability participate in sport related activities weekly, while 75% say they want to take part in sport, but feel there are limited opportunities. Four years ago, crow's nest resident Chris astil had a paragliding incident that resulted in a spinal cord injury. As a result of his accident, Mr. Astool became a permanent wheelchair user. However, that hasn't stopped the avid outdoorsman from participating in various sporting activities, both on a personal and professional level. I do most of the activities for the sheer thrill of it, the enjoyment, the passion, the sense of awe and wonder that I get from doing these sorts of activities, but I have competed, he says, part of the circumstances for me in acquiring paraplegia was that it's much easier to return to these sort of activities with the help required if doing it at a formal competition. With this in mind, Mr. Astil created adaptive athlete Academy, an organization that helped.

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People with acquired disabilities get back into sporting activities, regardless of whether they wish to compete at a professional level or simply enjoy doing something physical. I think more options is always better in so many different ways at all different varying levels, too. Some people don't necessarily want the Paralympic level of participation and everything that it demands, they just want to do it for passion. So I think catering to all types of people's interests and passions is the ideal. Mr. Astil says, some of the activities include surfing, indoor skydiving, rock climbing and mountain biking. I'm fortunate to have some very expert people that have helped me, and I just want to see other people have access to those same opportunities, having gone on a few exhibitions with Blue Mountains climbing school himself, Mr. Astor says the experience has never been short of enjoyable, being kept safe, doing some pretty risky stuff. It's amazing to have athletes and instructors and businesses and industry people, state and national supporting organizations get on board all of the sports that we get involved with. Having that in mind to open doors and explore options is just life changing for everyone involved. He says, the Blue Mountains climbing school as a finalist at the National Tourism awards. The winners will be announced next month. Is this something that might tempt you? It will aside from being physically challenged, I've always loved to challenge myself physically, and so I became the first person with cerebral palsy to

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complete the Harbor Bridge Climb completely unaided.

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Back in 2013 when I was 19, I have gone indoor skydiving. I've participated in a couple of tree top rope courses. I've also done a five kilometer

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military design obstacle course. Yeah, and I do all of this on sheer adrenaline. They go, there's no training that goes into it, just sheer adrenaline. And, yeah, I love it. So this is something that I think I will try whenever I can get to the Blue Mountains. Yeah, I had a lot of fun gathering the information for this story. I spoke to one of the owners of the school itself, and then they put me on to one of their collaborators and one of their regular clients who, yeah, was just really honest with his assessment of the state of things. And I actually cannot wait to get there to

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try it out myself, and if I do, and when I do, I will stick a video up online and just do some commentary on

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how good it did. The enthusiasm is palpable, both in the story and through yourself, at the moment, your own attitude. So that is a really good way to end on And indeed, We have to end this week. Anything coming up in the pipeline that you can share with us, I am looking into a charity steps for some depth challenge, which is hoping to raise money for independent education for people with disability and autism, okay, but in the meantime, that is a wrap for this rap. See you next week. Bye, bye.

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You can find these articles and more by going to Powerd spelt, P, O, W, E, R, D, dot media, along with the podcast of the show the Powerd news rap was brought to you by disability media Australia. This show was produced by Sam Rickard in the Adelaide studios of Vision Australia radio Sam.