The Council seeks to represent all people with disability, their families and carers. Individual Council members bring knowledge, lived experience and invaluable professional and personal networks to the table.
Council membership
Ms Clare Gibellini (Chairperson)
Clare’s lived experience with disability comes from being an Autistic person, and a parent to her son who is a NDIS participant. She also cares for a family member with a mental health condition and chairs a Microboard for a young woman in the South West who has multiple complex disabilities.
Clare has extensive knowledge and experience in person-centred thinking and planning, as well as individualised service design, demonstrated through earlier roles within the disability sector, as a support worker, staff trainer and lead for several Information, Linkages and Capacity Building projects. Before joining Valued Lives, Clare has worked in various Government and not-for profit organisations within the disability sector. She also served as the Deputy Chair) for the WA Transition Advisory Group, which supported transitioning to the national scheme in Western Australia.
This experience was recognised in May 2023,when Clare was appointed Co-Chair of the National Autism Strategy Oversight Council by the Hon Amanda Rishworth MP. Clare also volunteers with several organisations including People with Disability Australia, Outback Academy Australia and is the Secretary of the Southwest Autism Network.
Mrs Apollonia (Nia) Parker
Nia is the mother of an adult child with Down Syndrome and the Chair of the Board of Management of Down Syndrome WA. Through this experience and connection, she has developed consumer and provider knowledge of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and a thorough understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the different jurisdictions to provide for people with disability, including those who are not eligible for the NDIS.
As a physiotherapist with more than 30 years’ experience working in rural and regional areas of Western Australia in both private and government sectors, Nia has a deep understanding of the difficulties faced by people living with a disability outside the metropolitan area to access health care, therapy, play, other social groups, appropriate education and housing, and respite for carers (as just a few examples).
Nia founded RockAbility, a networking group for young adults with an intellectual disability, and their families, to provide increased social opportunities and support within the Rockingham area. She has a special passion about inclusion for people with an intellectual disability as well as those with a physical or emotional impairment.
Mrs Barbara van Reyk
Barbara is a retired Solicitor who gave 25 years of service with the State Solicitor’s Office in Western Australia. Prior to that position she was a legal officer with the Department of Corrections. She advised on issues relating to offenders with a disability who were going through the criminal justice system at all stages, from police involvement to conviction, incarceration and release on parole.
As a community member on the Prisoners Review Board, Barbara used her experience with offenders with a disability to make a valuable contribution to the matters for determination by the Board.
Through these experiences Barbara became aware of the serious disadvantages suffered by those with a disability both physical and intellectual. She was inspired to advocate for change and improved services for this vulnerable group.
In 2004, Barbara was appointed as an advocate for a mature aged woman who lived with intellectual and some physical disability. It was through this experience that she discovered the challenges faced by people with disability in all aspects of their lives. Barbara got to know other residents where her friend lived, and assisted them, wherever possible. This earned Barbara the 2007 Dick Porter Award for Outstanding Contribution to the organisation.
Ms Nick Avery
Nick is Chief Executive Officer of the South West Autism Network (SWAN), a Disabled Persons and Families Organisation in regional WA, where she has been leading strategic initiatives to support people with disability and their families, particularly in regional and remote areas since 2010. Nick is autistic and has a physical disability.
She has successfully developed, managed and delivered a range of programs and services, including the Regional Toolkit, JumpStart, AutStars and the Youth Engaging Successfully (YES) program. These initiatives focus on building capacity, inclusion, and self-management skills among individuals with disability.
Nick’s systemic advocacy work spans many levels of government, having provided evidence at 11 Commonwealth and State Government inquiries. She actively engages in policy consultation processes and serves on key forums and working groups.
Nick is a contracted representative for Every Australian Counts (EAC) to the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) and the Department of Social Services (DSS), focusing on NDIS reforms and codesign. She co-chairs the Participant Pathway Experience Working Group with the NDIA, serves on the NDIS Scheme Reform Steering Committee and the Rural and Remote Advisory Group, and is a member of the Disability Representative and Carer Organisations (DRCO) Employment Working Group. Nick is also the co-chair of the Self Manager Hub and a Board member of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network of Australia and New Zealand (ASAN-AUNZ).
Nick’s practical experience in governance, stakeholder engagement, and systemic change aligns with MACD’s mandate to advise on policies affecting people with disabilities.
Miss Rachael Burns
Rachael is a young neurodivergent woman with lived and living experience of psychosocial disability, who is a passionate advocate, both individually and systemically.
While self-advocating throughout periods of poor health, Rachael experienced and developed knowledge of the health and medical sector as a young person with an invisible disability.
Rachael has now discovered and connected with a community of people who have experienced similar forms of adversity and marginalisation. Through this community Rachael continues to learn and grow both personally and as a driver of change.
Miss Ellie Moir
Ellie is a Nyoongar woman born in Esperance (Wadjuri Country).
Ellie has been involved with the disability sector since the age of 12, when she and her sister started caring for her mother when she became unwell. At the age of 17, Ellie was diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a genetically inherited connective tissue disorder. Managing and advocating for now two people living with disability meant engaging with disability systems and support services from a young age.
Dealing firsthand with the complexity of the disability systems, Ellie soon developed a passion for advocating for disability rights, inclusion and accessible support for people with disability, particularly for those living in regional and remote locations across WA.
Through her professional life, Ellie has gained experience in drafting and implementing policies, services, programs and activities that are inclusive and supportive.
Ellie is employed as a Lecturer for the Department of Social Work and Social Policy at the University of WA and for the past five years, she has also worked as an NDIS Support Coordinator, helping people with disability navigate the NDIS system.
Ellie holds an Undergraduate Degree in Psychology and a Master of Social Work and is a registered Social Worker.
Mrs Kristine Schroder
Kristine lives in WA’s South West and holds a Bachelor of Education, Primary majoring in Special Needs. Throughout her 24 years in education, she has dedicated her career to driving and developing inclusive practices for students with disability. Kristine has a particular passion for developing transition programs that support students with complex needs to finish school and become active members of their community.
For the past four years, Kristine has been Principal at College Row School in Bunbury, a school for students with complex cognitive, medical, behavioural and/or communication needs. She has worked closely with the school council to develop practices that rely on close connections with the Bunbury community.
College Row School has partnerships with more than 70 allied therapist agencies and support workers who come to the school and work alongside staff to get best outcomes for students. They have developed a connected community that supports one another to reflect and plan to provide best outcomes for students and staff.
As students graduate from the school, the agencies supporting them post school are part of the community that has developed.
Mr Siljan Stojkovski
Siljan has never allowed his disability to define or restrict him from achieving goals he sets for himself.
Born with Cerebral Palsy, he graduated from high school with high academic results and went on to gain a university degree with Second Class Honours in Applied Science that led to his career in construction.
Siljan overcame many obstacles and attitudes to progress in his career to where he is today, as a Project Director. Siljan believes his knowledge of construction, project management and contract management, coupled with his years of interactions with private business and government departments, has shaped his unique perspective on tension points and opportunities for process and systemic improvements for people with disability.
As a participant of the NDIS, Siljan has a greater understanding of the purpose, benefits, challenges and frustrations faced by many people with disability, their families and carers.
Siljan is a voice for people who have a disability, while he strives to be part of a community with no bias, judgement or preconceived views on what an individual person can achieve.
