International Day of People with Disability

Learn more about our presenters

• Josh Hose

  Paralympian Wheelchair rugby superstar Josh Hose has quadriplegia after a car accident on Australia Day in 2005, when the driver of the car he was in lost control of the wheel, leaving him with serious spinal cord damage, swelling on the brain and two collapsed lungs.

  

  Following two weeks in an induced coma and a six-hour operation to realign his spine, Josh began his rehabilitation, during which time he was introduced to wheelchair rugby through watching the Victorian state team.

  Using the sport to aid his recovery process, it wasn’t long before Josh carved out a name for himself on the court, just missing selection for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

  Determined to compete four years later in London, Josh represented Australia at the 2010 IWRF World Championship in Vancouver, Canada, and the Canada Cup in Montreal later that year.

  Making his Paralympic debut at London 2012, Josh helped the Steelers to defeat rivals Canada 51-66 in the gold medal match to win Australia’s first ever wheelchair rugby gold medal at a Paralympic Games.

  Off the back of their success in London, the Steelers became the first team in wheelchair rugby history to win consecutive Paralympic gold medals and a World Championship title in a four-year period, defeating the USA 59-58 in a double-overtime thriller at Rio 2016.

  At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, the Steelers’ nine-year reign as Paralympic champions came to an end when the team finished fourth after being defeated by Japan 52–60 in the bronze medal game. It was the first time in 17 years that the team didn’t win a medal.

  When he’s not training or competing, Josh is an accomplished motivational speaker, delivering messages to businesses, schools and community groups about road safety, setting goals, and overcoming barriers to success.

• Emma Gee

  Emma Gee is an acclaimed international inspirational speaker and author, offering her thoughts and solutions on person-centred care and resilience through her keynote presentations, workshops and consultancy.

  

  With a background in Occupational Therapy and as a Stroke Survivor, Emma is a renowned expert and a living example of what it takes to step in another’s shoes and truly bounce back in life. Through her inspiring presentations, Emma is able to both captivate and challenge her audiences to consider what IS possible in their own lives.

  Learning to speak again post-stroke, and realising the importance of sharing her story to help others, were the catalysts for Emma taking on speaking professionally. Today, and thousands of presentations later, Emma as an Inspirational Speaker has incredibly broad client group: from healthcare (associations, hospitals and rehabilitation facilities); businesses & corporate events; community organisations; through to educational facilities.

  She has also just published her first book entitled Reinventing Emma.

  Emma is passionate about enhancing person-centred service delivery and resilience in the lives of all she works with and promises to leave her audiences inspired to bounce back and step up.

  Emma’s signature phrase is: “that it’s not what happens to you that matters, it’s how you choose to deal with it!” will see her audiences moving past life’s hurdles to what’s possible.