Wheelchair Consensus Symposium - speaker biographies
25 September 2008
David Constantine, CEO, The Motivation Charitable Trust, UK
Elsie Taloafiri, National Coordinator of the CBR Unit, Ministry of Health, Solomon Islands
Elsie worked as a physiotherapy assistant at the National Referral Hospital in Honiara, Solomon Islands, before training as a physiotherapist at the Fiji School of Medicine in Suva, Fiji. Elsie graduated in 2005 and returned to work at the National Referral Hospital. Very soon Elsie joined the National Community Based Rehabilitation team, a department of the Ministry of Health, recognizing the value of working with people who have a disability at community level. Elsie's primary role with the CBR Unit is as the Rehab Technician - Training Officer. She has also held the role of acting National Coordinator since July 2006.
Frederick Miller, Disability Coordination Officer, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Fiji
Bill Contoyannis, Manager, REHAB Tech, Monash University, Australia
Bill Contoyannis, was instrumental in the setting up of REHAB Tech. He is a qualified rehabilitation Engineer with a degree in Mechanical engineering and a Masters of Biomedical Engineering. He is involved in a broad range of rehabilitation and assistive technology areas, he has contributed to the field area of prosthetics for over twenty years and with a range of activities including education, research, advice and clinical support. He has been invited many times to present and lecture at a number of national and international forums and is an adviser to health departments, professional organisations and support associations throughout Australia.
Kylie Mines, Asia Pacific Programme Director,
Motivation Australia
Kylie qualified as an Occupational Therapist in Adelaide, in 1989, and has always had a strong interest in wheelchair provision and supportive seating. Kylie joined Motivation UK in 1993, initially in a clinical role, and becoming increasingly involved in programme management. She has lived and worked on Motivation projects in a number of countries including Cambodia, Russia, Lithuania, Albania, Romania, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Kylie is now living in South Australia, and is leading the development of Motivation Australia as the Asia Pacific Programme Director.
Ray Mines, Senior Designer and Project Manager, The Motivation Charitable Trust
Ray Mines is a senior product designer and project manager with the Motivation Charitable Trust, which is based in the UK. He has a BSc(Hons) in Industrial Design from Brunel University in the UK. He has been working in developing countries with Motivation since 1996, designing wheelchairs and seating systems, establishing local workshops, leading new product development and sourcing in China, presenting at international conferences and representing Motivation at a senior level in key relationships.
Keo Sovann, Wheelchair Coordinator, Jesuit Service, Cambodia
Tony Blackmore, Wheelchairs for Kids, Australia
After a varied career in the retail industry and as an economist in the Commonwealth Public Service he moved into the computer industry in 1961. During the next 40 years he worked in every area of this field from programming, sales and marketing through to computer hardware design and manufacturing. On his retirement in 2000 he moved back to Western Australia where he saw a TV program describing the work of Wheelchairs for Kids. Significantly impressed he volunteered as a process worker in the organization's factory. He is now a member of both the management and product development committees.
Erik Valesco, Project Manager, Handicap International Wheelchair Programme, Philippines
Erik Velasco is a young, dynamic and energetic professional. He graduated with a degree in Accounting and Finance from Lancaster University, UK. He started his career in the corporate world until early 2006 when introduced by a friend to an opportunity with Handicap International. With an iron resolve to learn and expand his horizon in the Humanitarian organization, he accepted the responsibilities then of being the Finance and Business development officer, and currently the Project Manager of the Wheelchairs for Mindanao Project. His face is bright with optimism and eagerly looking towards the future of the project for greater accomplishments. No doubt, he can bring the project what it has envisioned to become. That is Erik Velasco, 28 years old from Cagayan de oro City, Philippines.
Steve Hales, Clinical Liaison Officer, Medical Aids Subsidy Scheme, Queensland Australia
Stephen is an occupational therapist by training, currently the facilitator of clinical education for Medical Aids Subsidy Scheme (MASS), an organisation that funds wheelchairs and seating, home care equipment, communication and continence aids, and home oxygen in Queensland. Previously Stephen provided outreach services across Queensland over a 10 year period, specialising in remote and indigenous communities, prescribing wheelchairs, seating, equipment and home modifications for people with disability. He is a passionate advocate for culturally and environmentally appropriate products and services. In his current role he develops education for both clinicians and consumers. Sessions are provided by videoconference, on location workshops and symposiums.
R
Basavaruju, Director, Association of
People with a Disability, India
My journey at APD began in 1992. Up to 1997 I was involved in developing programs for the urban poor with a focus to develop families & individuals to meet their needs within their own community itself. The experience was new as people here had different aspirations and expectations and a whole different set of social issues like alcoholism and abuse. The involvement of people in rehabilitation work was very little. Due to this I needed to find innovative ways of addressing the issues. I did this by building parent groups, youth groups and institutional mechanisms. During this period I led a team of 25 people to support more than 1500 people within the community. This turned out to be the most successful urban model in the country. This knowledge was later shared with people even in the developed world who replicated this model elsewhere.
I was involved in developing Wheelchair service provision from the year 2004. We established the services and at the moment we provide comprehensive wheelchair mobility support for over 600 people annually. I was also involved in establishing similar services in rural areas as well.
From 1997 onwards I have been heading the organization as the Director. My role now is to give strategic directions to achieve the missions of the organization. My role is also to share the knowledge gained by APD to the entire disability sector in our region/country.
Rex Larry, Project Officer, National Orthotics and Prosthetics Service, Ministry of Health, Papua New Guinea
Christina Parasyn, Inclusive Development Policy Officer, Disability Taskforce - AusAID
Christina is an occupational therapist with experience working with people with disability and their communities and governments locally and globally. Her experience in disability and development extends beyond Australia to Maldives, India, Fiji, PNG, Cook Islands and Philippines. Her areas of interest include community development, disability-inclusive practice and participatory approaches to sustainable development. In 2003, Christina completed a MSocSc (International Development) from RMIT University, Melbourne, focusing on Community Based Rehabilitation in Maldives. Christina is currently a member of AusAID's Disability Taskforce working towards a more inclusive aid program for all. She previously worked with AusAID's Pacific and Humanitarian and Emergencies programs.
Julie Sprigg, International Programme Officer, CBM, Australia
CBM Australia is an international development organisation dedicated to improving quality of life for people with disabilities in the world's poorest countries. Julie has extensive experience as a physiotherapist for children with disabilities in Australia, the UK and in Ethiopia. Her current role with CBM involves projects in Asia and India, including community based rehabilitation programs, prosthetic & orthotic clinics, and advocacy for the rights of people with disabilities.
While the views presented by speakers within the Hawke Centre public
program are their own and are not necessarily those of either the University
of South Australia or The Hawke Centre, they are presented in the interest
of open debate and discussion in the community and reflect our themes of:
strengthening our democracy - valuing our cultural diversity - and building
our future.