Real Voices, Real Impact: GCRS Participants share their experiences with future Master of Occupational Therapy Students

In a powerful and engaging session, 37 students from Bond University’s Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program were joined by participants from Gold Coast Recreation & Sport Inc. (GCRS), who shared personal stories about navigating education, employment, and accommodation while living with disability.

Now nine weeks into their program, these future allied health professionals are beginning to explore how various aspects of the environment—physical, cultural, institutional (policy), and social—can act as either barriers or facilitators to meaningful participation in everyday life. The visit from GCRS participants brought these concepts to life through real stories of challenge, resilience, and success.

Participants reflected on their experiences attending school, entering the workforce, and seeking safe and accessible housing. Some described inclusive environments that enabled them to thrive, while others highlighted the systems and spaces that made basic participation difficult or exclusionary. Whether it was a supportive employer, or a rigid policy framework, each story added valuable context to the students’ growing understanding of how environment shapes opportunity.

This session was directly aligned with the mission of the Active Inclusion Program (AIP)—a GCRS-led initiative that supports allied health professionals to build inclusive practices and pathways. By providing practical learning experiences grounded in lived experience, AIP helps ensure the next generation of professionals are not only aware of access and inclusion but confident in advocating for it in their everyday practice.

By hearing these lived perspectives, students were encouraged to consider how they can contribute to creating environments that enable people to live, learn, work, and participate fully in their communities.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Bond University for hosting this important session, and to our incredible GCRS participants—Cody, Jimmy, Joel, Tim, Ben, and Josh—for sharing their stories with such honesty and courage. Your insights make a lasting impact.

Here is some of what the OT students had to say: 

“Thank you to all the participants for sharing their personal stories with us today. It takes a lot of courage to speak in front of others, and to have a roomful of people staring at you! So, I just wanted to say thank you and well done on a great presentation!”

“It is really nice to hear first-hand about the experiences in your daily lives and how you felt supported or inhibited in your daily pursuits of work, life, and socialization. Through your personal stories, I particularly enjoyed those moments when you discussed something meaningful, something that you valued, or maybe something that you accomplished, and your face would light up. Everyone had their moment, and it was really special to see.”

“I was truly inspired and moved after hearing everyone’s different life stories. Their experiences really opened my eyes to all the barriers that are still present in modern life today – which I personally was not aware of.”

“I thought that it was such an amazing insight into the lives of people that have used occupational therapy at some stage, I had never gotten a chance to hear about experiences the guests had and how varied it was within each individual. It really helped me deepen my understanding on the Occupational Therapist’s scope of practice and the importance of our role; I think being in a classroom you often forget the reasons behind the content you are learning, so I really appreciated this experience as it provided me with the real-life implications for our clients.” 

A big thank you also goes to the GCRS staff who facilitated the day and made this opportunity possible. Your support ensures that the voices of people with disability continue to be heard, valued, and central to shaping a more inclusive future.