people
“I’m passionate about working to
“I have an acquired disability
and I really notice the difference in difference in the way younger
longer be a big deal to see a model how I’m treated from when I used generations interact with me
in a wheelchair on the catwalk. to walk into a store versus now compared to the way older
“At the moment, it is a big
when I roll into a store … there’s generations interact with me in
deal, especially in Australia. It has an assumption that the minute you my wheelchair and when I discuss
been happening overseas for some acquire a disability you wouldn’t disability … my differences just
time but it’s still new here … from possibly have an interest in fashion aren’t as big a deal to younger
an advocacy point of view, it just and makeup and all those sorts of generations,” she said.
shouldn’t be a big deal.” things. I’m not the biggest style guru,
Lisa loved wearing a Carla
“When I first acquired my
but it’s really disappointing when disability, there was no Instagram,
Zampatti dress during FashionAble you can see shop assistants thinking Facebook was new and influencers
and said she appreciates beautiful ‘you don’t need to be interested in were unheard of, let alone influencers
colours, shapes and textures. fashion’ just because you enter the with disability.
“Just because I stopped walking,
doesn’t mean I stopped enjoying
fashion,” Lisa said.
“I have plenty of friends with
store rolling rather than walking.” “These days, social media feeds
Lisa became a wheelchair user are filled with people with disability
14 years ago. She was 24 when embracing their differences and
she contracted an infection which discussing them openly.
disability and we sit around and talk caused her to have a stroke. The about clothes and fashion … we medication needed to help her to suggest that visibility creates
certainly don’t talk about wheelchairs recover caused damage to one awareness, but very slowly this
and disability all the time. of her legs, her toes and fingers, increased visual representation
which all had to be amputated. of disability is filtering down into
“I remember when I first acquired
people
other mediums as well, such as
representation of disability in
born with disability say that when children’s books or in cartoons. All of
they grew up, they couldn’t see these cues matter to impressionable
anyone like them,” she said. young minds.”
Lisa said if a child has seen
degree in business and media and non-sensationalised disability
communications, and experience several times before they leave
working as a copywriter, Lisa their house, they’re less likely to be
said it made sense to combine confronted or confused when they
her media background with her see people with disability going
disability to work on increasing about their daily lives in public.
‘visibility for disability’. And that would lead to disability
She said visibility was the single
Lisa on the catwalk at FashionAble,
for Multicap.
“I’m certainly not the first person
my disability, I started hearing people
With a double university
22
“I can’t help but notice a
change perceptions, so that it will no
not being a big deal in the school
biggest thing that could create a yard, the work place, or anywhere.
change in social attitudes – and “That’s what continued and
with her media background, she consistent visual representation
was well aware of how simple does, as opposed to a token image
visibility is to implement. or appearance. Inclusive children