Community
AQA's magazine out now
Follow one man's struggle to simply watch a concert he paid for (and occasionally go to the bathroom), and another's fight to upgrade to a modified van from this century, without being taken for a ride. Hear about our recent Skills For Independence course, hosted on Sydney's northern beaches, enjoy a book review of We've Got This: Stories by Disabled Parents, and much more.
Discover Gippsland's accessible gems
Thinking about planning a trip? A Traralgon resident has worked with us to prepare a boutique accessible travel guide, showcasing some of his top picks in Gippsland. Whether you're into sightseeing, history, art or wine, this guide has you covered.
Making comfortable clothing that's fun to wear
Sorayya Shemirani, a wheelchair user living in Geelong, wasn't happy with the adaptive clothing options on offer. Firmly believing that self-expression through fashion should be open to everyone, she started making her own.
The dogs that changed my life
Assistance dogs have offered companionship and independence to Tanya Clarke over more than two decades. In this story, Tanya explains how these specially trained animals can help you - perhaps even by introducing you to an international pop star.
Yes, we can help now
We've expanded our Allied Health team, and have immediate capacity to engage in Support Coordination or Occupational Therapy with new participants. Meet the team, or just submit an inquiry.
On top of the world - again!
Peer Mentor and handcyclist Lachie O'Brien shares his journey back to conquering mountains, after a medical emergency and months of intensive care. Read his harrowing account on our Spire website (link will open a new tab on your browser).
Ben's winding road to medicinal cannabis
Former policy advisor to government Ben Gruter tells of his seven year journey to finding relief through cannabis from the pain that arrived with his spinal cord injury.
How to head up the Ticketek queue
Booking agency Ticketek has responded to complaints from the AQA community about its process for securing accessible seating, explaining how it prioritises requests.
Sustaining a working partnership
Greg Grigarius and support worker Sharon Brill have built a working relationship over more than 10 years.
Greg says Sharon has helped him preserve his autonomy as a husband and father. Sharon says working with AQA has offered her "more of a life" than she enjoyed in her nursing career.
Soul food for dark days
Writers for this inspiring series share their responses to loss, and reveal where they've found help when they needed it. Read their stories.
Sharing lived experience
More than 100 people with lived experience of spinal cord injury work with AQA as Peer Mentors, having trained with us so that they can serve people who seek advice or other forms of support.
You can meet many of our Peer Mentors and learn about the work they do at AQA's Spire website.
Services
Our service model
The AQA service model draws on our decades of experience supporting people to live well with spinal cord injuries and other complex conditions. We build partnerships.
How we operate
NDIS accredited
AQA is a quality accredited and registered service provider with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the Transport Accident Commission (TAC).
Events
Wheelchair Skills days
Other courses and events
AQA also delivers the disability specialised motivation and goal setting course Discovering the Power in Me, a range of capacity building courses under the Living Well Project, organises regular community disability expos that we call What's Out There Days, and facilitates monthly Community Network get-togethers across Victoria.
Jobs
Our support workers
We resource people to live well, and people includes our support workers. Our staff come from all walks of life and represent a broad range of ages and backgrounds.
What support workers do
Our support workers get to know people and help them - at home, in their local communities, and sometimes when travelling for business or pleasure. You may find yourself taking someone to an appointment, helping them get ready for work in the morning, or preparing an evening meal.
What support workers need
Prior experience of disability support work is helpful but what you need most is reliability and a wish to connect with people. As one of our longest-serving support workers explains: To be a carer, you need to have it in your heart.
Our history
500+
Staff
100+
Volunteers
400+
Happy Clients
