Microboards Australia

At Microboards Australia, we show you how to use a clever online platform called 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐨 to help teams stay organised and connected as they support families and people with disability.

𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 — from goals and plans to notes, tasks, and communication. It means teams and families can easily share updates, track progress, and make sure nothing important gets missed.

For those who already use Podio, you’ll know how flexible and customisable it is! And for those who don’t — think of it as a secure digital workspace that brings everyone together so we can focus on what really matters: 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬. 💙

We’ve created workspaces we can share, that cover:

• team training manuals
• day to day information about the person
• the person’s community connections
• health and well-being
• planning and goals
• recruitment and onboarding
• and much, much more

We’re always improving how we use Podio to make your work simpler, clearer, and more person centred.

🌏💛 World Kindness Day – was on November 13 💛🌏

World Kindness Day began in the late 1990s, when a group of countries met in Japan to explore how kindness could help create a more peaceful and connected world. From that gathering, the 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 was formed — and it has continued to grow, with countries like 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧, 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚 helping to share its message. The heart of the movement is simple: even small, genuine acts of kindness can bring people together and bridge our differences.

At Microboards Australia, we believe kindness is at the heart of inclusion. Every act of kindness helps build a world where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued — no matter their abilities.

💡 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫:
✨ Share a story of kindness — big or small — that made a difference in your day.
✨ Do something kind for someone in your community.
✨ Talk about what kindness means to you and how it can make the world more inclusive and accessible.

Let’s fill our feeds (and our days!) with kindness. Because when we choose kindness, we choose connection, understanding, and inclusion. 💙

🎉 October is (was) AAC Awareness Month! 💬

In October we celebrated Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) — the many ways people communicate beyond spoken words.

AAC supports people who may not use verbal speech for all their communication needs to express themselves and connect with others. It can include gestures, key word sign, communication boards, speech-generating devices, writing, or typing — and much more.

At its heart, AAC is about ensuring everyone has a voice and can be heard, understood, and included. But more importantly perhaps is the knowledge that AAC is mostly about supporting and meeting our well-being and body brain needs for connection. Without being immersed in environment that support processing, concretion and interaction, we experience chronic stress.

💜 Communication is powerful.
Everyone has the right to express their thoughts and feelings, make choices about their life, and form meaningful relationships. AAC empowers people to take part in conversations, share their stories, and connect with their communities in their own way. AAC forms the platform to help people process the world, language, their internal and external experiences.

This October and in fact for all months of the year, let’s come together to celebrate every voice — because communication access is central to EVERYTHING.

At Microboards Australia, we’re proud to support inclusive communication and the right of every person to be heard.
We do this in so many ways. Through individual support to learning groups and training.

This is also why we partnered with Curtin University to develop the Post Graduate Certificate in Complex Communication Needs, focussing on the knowledge and skills that underlies what being communication capable really means.

Next week, Jaq, Eli and Debbie are off to talk to people at the ASID conference about two really important themes.

One is the role of lived experience education and leadership. Eli and Ben Keely lead a significant part of the presentation, challenging the notion that expertise lies with professionals and dominant narratives of non disabled academics.

The other is about the really really important role of understanding body brain experiences when trying to understand and reduce people's stress. Again Eli will talk a fair bit about this and the impact this has had on his life leading to where he is at today in advocating for other people with disability and having the great life that he does.

If you know of anyone attending the conference, please let them know we will be there and if you are there make sure you seek us out to say hi. We are really looking forward to connecting, learning and sharing.

We are interested in exploring opportunities for Behaviour Support Practitioners to join our team if living in the Perth or Geraldton areas of WA. If you are know of someone who would be keen for chat about possible roles, please get in touch.

✨ Celebrating Inclusion, Innovati÷n and Lived Experience ✨

A couple of weeks ago, 𝐄𝐥𝐢, 𝐉𝐚𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐞 presented in partnership with Curtin University at the 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, hosted by the Curtin Academy.

Their presentation focused on the 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨-𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨-𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, led by people with lived experience and lived expertise of disability. There is still much progress to be made to move beyond tokenistic approaches and towards genuine partnership — particularly in ways that include people with complex disability.

We hope the messages shared by Eli and Jaquie will inspire educators to think differently about inclusion and collaboration in education and support programs.

Some of our lived experience educators will also be joining us in November at the 𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐃 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 to continue sharing this important work alongside 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲. We look forward to seeing some of you there.

https://www.curtinacademy.com/event-details/celebration-of-innovation-in-learning-teaching-coilt

Celebration of Innovation in Learning & Teaching (CoILT) | Curtin Academy Curtin’s Celebration of Innovation in Learning & Teaching (CoILT) is coming to our Bentley campus on Monday 20 October 2025.

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬

Microboards Australia is proud to be part of a collaborative project focused on 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 for the facilitation of Circles of Support and Microboards. This initiative is being led by 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞, 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬. Together, these organisations form the COSAM Community of Practice (CoP), established by Inclusion Melbourne to promote shared learning, consistency, and best practice.

Circles of Support and Microboards are increasingly recognised as effective approaches for enhancing quality of life, social connection, independence, and choice and control for people with disability. While interest in these models continues to grow, there is currently no unified evidence-based framework to guide implementation or ensure quality outcomes.

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐀𝐢𝐦
This project seeks to consolidate and map both the theory and practical work required to successfully and sustainably establish Circles of Support and Microboards. It also will design a functional benchmarking rubric that clearly outlines indicators of best practice and success. This resource is intended to be accessible and useful to the NDIS, service providers, carers, and supporters.

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞:
• Reviewing existing knowledge and materials
• Consulting with people with cognitive disability and COSAM partners
• Developing an evidence-based benchmarking guide with accessible tools, resources, and easy to read content

We are currently in the phase of developing the project content bank. This involves carefully organising and defining key concepts, principles, and terminology to ensure clarity and consistency. Our working group, which includes people with lived experience and other stakeholders, plays an essential role in refining definitions, sharing insights, and grounding the project in real-world experiences.

We look forward to providing further updates as the project progresses.

𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚 has been awarded the 𝐄𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 in the NDIS/Disability Sector for 2025! 🏆✨

The Enablement Awards celebrate innovation, excellence, and inspirational achievements in disability care across Australasia. This recognition highlights our dedication to creating strong, sustainable networks of support that put people with disability and their families first. 💙

The Awards focus on 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐬, 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩, 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞.

A heartfelt thank you to our staff, families, and supporters who make this work possible every day. Together, we show that when we focus on connection, creativity, and care, we can improve the quality of life for people with disability.

Here’s to continuing this journey — building networks that last a lifetime. 🌈

Every parent and carer knows that stress and concern that you just can't shake when your child is unwell. We want to help prevent this where we can.

It’s important every child in Western Australia has access to safe and effective protection against influenza.

That’s why the Cook Labor Government is introducing a free needle-free influenza vaccine for children aged two to under 12 from 2026.

This gentle nasal spray is quick, safe, and painless - giving parents peace of mind and kids an easier way to stay protected.

We are thrilled to introduce Harry to our Microboard Australia family.

Harry has recently moved back to Perth after fifteen years studying and working on the east coast overseas. He is a Speech Pathologist with a special interest in AAC (especially high-tech systems) and social communication.

Harry has worked as an ECEI coordinator and worked training teachers and educators to implement AAC across schools and early childhood education settings. He has also run groups for children and young people that target communication through music, art and drama.

Harry believes that social relationships form the foundation of communication and that the best outcomes are achieved when a Speech Pathologist works as part of a team to support relationships with family, friends and community.

If you know of anyone who would value Harry's support please let us know!
Or you can send on our enquiries form https://podio.com/webforms/24467677/2286781

Have you heard of 🍭𝐏𝐂𝐇'𝐬 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐨 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 (𝐊𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐃) 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞✨?
💙 Keeping Kids in No Distress (KKIND) is here to help children feel calmer and more supported when they’re dealing with illness, injury, or hospital stays.

The KKIND team includes a coordinator, occupational therapists, and an allied health assistant — all working together to make hospital a little less overwhelming for kids. 🌈

They team up with doctors, nurses, and other health staff across PCH to give your child the care and support they need.

💙 We know that being in hospital — whether because of illness, injury, or medical procedures — can be stressful and sometimes even scary for children and their families.

That’s where PCH’s KKIND program (Keeping Kids in No Distress) comes in. The KKIND team works alongside patients and families to help children cope with the worries and anxiety that can come with hospital visits.

KKIND is a 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐥-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 under the care of a PCH consultant.

KKIND offers different levels of support depending on how your child is coping.

For some, that might mean general reassurance and information.
For others who are more distressed, it could mean extra guidance, resources, or closer support from our team.
𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝.