Elly Desmarchelier is an orator. Not officially. But when she speaks, people listen. A hard-won skill developed after a lifetime of self-advocating and standing up for herself and others, Elly’s voice is her gift.
A proud queer and neurodivergent disabled woman with cerebral palsy, Elly is a disability advocate, writer, speaker, campaigner and the national spokesperson for the Every Australian Counts’ highly impactful “Defend Our NDIS”(National Disability Insurance Scheme) campaign. From facing ableism in state parliament as a young employee, to speaking truth to power on ABC’s Q+A, there’s a fire in the Meanjin local that can only be earned through lived experience and a true passion for politics.
As a disability rights advocate, you do a lot; you write, you speak and you’re a full-time campaigner. When did you first know that you wanted to do this work?
I so clearly remember knowing I needed to do this back in primary school. Because I’m a disabled woman, my life has been inherently political
