William Ward-Boas Consulting

20/05/2026

Disability Pride Celebration is on 31 July 2-5pm at Trades Hall Carlton (and online!)

Book your FREE ticket now via: https://drc.org.au/

We'll have exciting performances, games and prizes, and a chance to connect and celebrate with the community.

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If you have any questions, please email us: [email protected]

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14/05/2026

11/05/2026

11/05/2026

DISCLAIMER: This post is my own personal opinion

Ahead of this week’s Federal Budget, I keep thinking about Saturday’s Protect the NDIS rallies happening across the country, including here in Naarm/Melbourne. Thousands of disabled people, families, carers, friends and allies showed up together across multiple states and territories to say clearly: our lives are not negotiable.

I’m thinking about my nieces, who may one day rely on the NDIS. I’m thinking about friends terrified of losing community participation supports that keep them connected, independent and safe. And I’m thinking about myself, as an NDIS participant, watching disabled people constantly framed as an economic burden instead of human beings deserving dignity, autonomy and support.

What also sits heavily with me is the broader pattern emerging from the Australian government right now. In less than six months, Australia has faced criticism over breaches of multiple UN conventions and human rights obligations, including:

• Climate obligations, while Pacific nations and communities face rising seas and worsening climate disasters
• Racial discrimination concerns linked to the treatment of children in Northern Territory detention centres
• Disability rights concerns under the Convention on the Rights of People with Disability (CRPD) surrounding the “Thriving Kids” reforms, with disabled people and families repeatedly saying genuine consultation and co-design never occurred.

These are not isolated failures. They reflect a political culture where governments continue making decisions about communities without listening to the people living the consequences of those decisions.

Saturday reminded me of something else too.

Disabled people know how to survive because we have always had to.

We survived institutions and continue to.
We survived segregation.
We survived being shut out of education, employment, housing and public life.
And many disabled people are still fighting those same systems today.

Every right we have exists because disabled people fought for it together. Nothing was handed to us.

The Protect the NDIS protests across the country are proof that collective power matters, and that disabled people are not alone in this fight.

We aren’t going anywhere.
People with disability are taxpayers too.
We will keep speaking up.
We will keep protecting each other.
And we will keep holding governments accountable.

-William Ward-Boas
Founder of William Ward-Boas Consulting
NDIS Participant

03/05/2026

Ali France MP, Member for Dickson, Labour Party, Parliament of Australia.

You’re right about one thing: the NDIS isn’t working the way it should.

But Labor’s framing of these reforms does not match what people are actually
experiencing.

The constant focus on fraud, rorts, and unregistered providers is not the reality most participants are facing.

While that narrative dominates the media, something far more serious is unfolding on
the ground.

Supports are being cut. Plans are being slashed. Services are delayed. People are being left without what they need to live safely.

That is why the Australian Neurodivergent Parents Association Harm Tracker exists.

People felt shut out of the extensive consultation being claimed, and harm is being documented in real time.

This is not abstract.

People are going without therapy. Without support workers. Without basic continuity
of care.

Families are breaking. Rural and remote communities are being left with nothing.
And when supports disappear, people do not just miss out.

They deteriorate.

They end up in emergency departments.

They end up hospitalised.

They end up institutionalised because there is nowhere else to go.

And when someone loses the supports that allow them to communicate, regulate, or make decisions, the risk of substitute decision making increases.

Not because it is right, but because the system has stripped away the scaffolding that made autonomy possible.

That is not reform.

That is abandonment.

And in some cases, people are dying.

People like Koa Gibson.

That reality does not match the political messaging.

Because while the focus is on cracking down on fraud, what participants are
experiencing suggests these reforms are not being implemented with the care or co-
design that is being claimed.

If consultation had truly centred the disability community, we would not need a grassroots harm tracker to prove people are falling through the cracks.

If reform was being rolled out safely, essential supports would not be removed faster than alternatives are built.

And if the system was being strengthened, it would not feel like people are being
sacrificed in the process.

No one is arguing the NDIS should stay as it is.

But reform that prioritises cost control and optics over lived experience is not
sustainable. It is destabilising.

You said this change is about the future of the disability community.

But the future cannot be protected if people are not safe right now.
Fraud is a problem.

But it is not the crisis.

The crisis is a system where people cannot access care, where rural and remote

Australians are left without support, and where harm is being documented faster
than it is being addressed.

That is the reality that needs to be front and centre.

- William Ward-Boas
Founder of William Ward-Boas Consulting

22/04/2026

Ahead of today’s National Press Club address by Mark Butler, it’s worth reflecting on the reality facing people with disability during Autism Awareness Month - a time meant to stand for understanding, inclusion, and genuine commitment.

Right now, for many in our community, it doesn’t feel like awareness or acceptance. It feels like being overlooked, sidelined, and pushed out of the very conversations that shape our lives.

People with intellectual disability cannot be left behind in upcoming reforms. Yet there is growing concern that decisions are being made without meaningful consultation. Families are navigating an uncertain and shifting system, and many participants are living with real fear that essential supports could be reduced or removed.

There is also a clear disconnect. Public messaging about financial pressure sits uneasily alongside the continued strength of major industries - raising fair questions about priorities and who is being asked to carry the burden. At the same time, concepts like “early intervention” risk being reshaped in ways that drift from their original intent, creating confusion and concern for those who rely on these supports.

Media narratives have only added to this tension, too often framing disability support through a narrow or politicised lens, rather than recognising it as fundamental to an equitable society.

As both a professional in this space and an NDIS participant, I approach today’s address with cautious attention. This is an opportunity to listen, reset the tone, and demonstrate genuine commitment to people with disability and their families.

People with disability are informed, determined, and united.�We will continue to stand up for our rights, for fairness, and for a system that reflects dignity and inclusion. We will not stop advocating-because the consequences of not being heard are too serious to ignore.

- William Ward-Boas
NDIS Pariticpant

18/04/2026

Happy Birthday, Naomi Anderson 🎉

Today we celebrate not just a birthday, but an incredible force for change. Naomi, your work as a leading advocate and lawyer in the NDIS reform space, and through Villamanta Disability Rights Legal Service, continues to shape a more just, inclusive, and compassionate world.

Your unwavering commitment to the rights of people with disability, your courage in challenging systems, and your deep care for the individuals and communities you stand beside do not go unnoticed. You’ve made a lasting impact on so many lives - and continue to inspire others to push for better.

Wishing you a day filled with appreciation, joy, and the recognition you so deeply deserve. Thank you for everything you do - the advocacy, the leadership, your friendship, solidarity and the heart you bring to it all.

Happy Birthday, Naomi 💛

Image description:
A selfie of two people standing close together indoors at an event. On the left (Naomi), a person with short hair wears round glasses and a light, striped button-up shirt, smiling gently at the camera. On the right (William), a taller person with medium-length dark hair wears a black top with a patterned outer layer and smiles softly, leaning their head in close. Both are wearing name tags.

Behind them is a purple wall with partially visible text and logos related to disability advocacy, along with a few chairs arranged as if for a panel or presentation. The lighting is warm, and the overall atmosphere suggests a friendly, professional gathering.

17/04/2026

I’m excited to be joining the panel discussion “Neurodivergence in First Nations Communities: Insights from Lived Experience and Community Engagement” at the Neurodiversity Affirming Therapy Conference Australia & LOAPAC Expo 2026.

This conversation is deeply important-centering lived experience, cultural context, and community-led approaches to neurodivergence.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute alongside others committed to meaningful, inclusive change.

Naarm (Melbourne) & Online 📍

9–10 July 2026 📅

If you’re attending, I’d love to connect and continue the conversation.

Thanks Kirstie Shaw Âû

William Ward-Boas
Founder of William Ward-Boas Consulting



Alt text: Promotional graphic with a circular headshot of a person on a beige background with blue spiral patterns. Text reads: “9th–10th July 2026, Naarm (Melbourne) & Online.” Name: William Ward-Boas (he/him). Session: “Panel Discussion: Neurodivergence in First Nations Communities: Insights from Lived Experience and Community Engagement.” Footer: “Neurodiversity Affirming Therapy Conference Australia & LOAPAC Expo 2026 – The Power of Community in Social Change.”

08/04/2026

I’m honoured to share that I have been elected as the Indigenous Disabled Peoples Officer for the Disabled People’s Forum (CDPF).

This role is deeply meaningful to me. It represents an opportunity to advocate for the rights, visibility, and leadership of Indigenous disabled people across the Commonwealth, and to help ensure our voices are not only heard, but centred in global disability conversations.

I’m looking forward to working alongside an incredible international community to advance inclusive, culturally grounded approaches to disability rights and justice.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this journey - I carry our communities with me into this work.

Thank you Clare Gibellini and Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO) for believing in my work, I promise to do my best in this position, and I promise to engage with mob so that this voice is not from me alone but Mob and community too.

Solidarity
William Ward-Boas



Alt text: CDPF logo: blue circle, orange globe, disability icons, forum name around edge

31/03/2026

As Trans Day of Visibility comes to a close, I’m taking a moment to reflect and check my privilege.

I’m a gender-diverse gay man who is AuDHD, living with intellectual disability, and connected to mob. I carry lived experience - but I also recognise that visibility, safety, and opportunity are not equal across our communities.

The rights many of us have today exist because of Black trans women and gender-diverse people, especially Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, who stood up at Stonewall and changed history.

In Australia, there is progress - but the reality is still confronting. Trans and gender-diverse people continue to face high levels of discrimination, violence, and barriers to basic needs like healthcare, housing, and employment. Many still feel unsafe just being themselves.

Today, I honour those we have lost to transphobia, racism, and systemic injustice. Their lives mattered - and still do.

Visibility must mean more than being seen. It must mean being safe, respected, and able to live fully.

- William Ward-Boas



Image description: person holding up trans flag with a banner at bottom of image saying “Transgender Day of Visibility March 31”

26/03/2026

I attended my first Australian Progress Conference with Clare Gibilini, and one takeaway stood out:

Real change happens in community.
Not in silos. Not in performative politics. Not in competition over who is “most progressive”.

Over two days, First Nations treaty leaders, unions, disability advocates, climate organisers, human rights campaigners, policy experts, and grassroots organisers shared a consistent message:

We are living through a polycrisis (climate breakdown, economic inequality, political polarisation feeding into each other), and the far right is organising for power.

So we must do the same.

A defining moment was hearing Dom Kelly from New Disabled South:
“Disability Justice mandates that we work toward collective liberation.”
“Disabled folks are a part of every community - every single issue that we all fight for is a disability issue.”

Dom asked a grounding question:
“How can we expect people to join a direct action if they are about to be evicted from their home or if they can’t put food on their table?”

Climate justice requires disability justice.
Confronting stats from the conference:

* 84% of people with disability or chronic illness feel unwell on hot days
* 39% worry daily about energy costs in summer
* 89% of heatwave deaths are people with disabilities

Yet disabled people are often treated as “vulnerable” rather than recognised as leaders. “Don’t define people as vulnerable - that removes agency”.

The Human Rights Act session reinforced that rights aren’t abstract. People want to hear about “housing, healthcare, education, dignity”.
“You need both: discrimination laws for negative rights, and a Human Rights Act for positive rights.”

Across all sessions, one truth kept surfacing: “relationships are the essential change”. Solidarity must be real - not tokenistic, symbolic, or conditional.

I’m grateful to Australian Progress and Clare for being conference buddies with me. I leave with new relationships, sharper strategy, and a stronger commitment to “disability justice connected to broader liberation”.

Because freedom from oppression is not just for one community - it is for all of us.

Nothing about us, without us.

Solidarity
William Ward-Boas