Challenge what you think it’s like to live with disability. 

Hosts Dylan Alcott and Angus O’Loughlin speak to people living with disabilities about their lives and ask them the questions you thought were off-limits. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll learn something. This is a podcast for everyone - disabled or abled, and hopes to break down stigmas, change perceptions, and to challenge what you think it’s like to live with disability. 

Three buses passed Santiago “Santi” Velasquez because he could not see when to hail them. Instead of accepting that public transport was not designed for him, the blind electrical engineer decided to build a better system.

In this episode of ListenABLE, Dylan Alcott and Angus O’Loughlin sit down with Santi to discuss the experience that inspired Halo, an accessibility-first public transport app that alerts drivers when a passenger needs assistance, where they are boarding and where they need to get off.

Santi explains how he became one of the relatively few blind electrical engineers in the world, why his parents taught him that “the only thing you cannot do is see”, and how he learned advanced mathematics, coding and engineering through Braille, audio technology and problem-solving.

The conversation also explores the risks and opportunities of artificial intelligence for people with disability. Santi argues that AI can be incredibly useful, but only when people with lived experience are included in the data, design and decision-making process.

From accessible public transport and guide dog discrimination to Braille literacy, rideshare accountability and the danger of treating people with disability as charity cases, this is a powerful conversation about independence, expectations and designing a world that works better for everyone.

As Santi says:
“We’re not just charity cases. We have to have high expectations of ourselves because otherwise, who else is going to have them?”

In this episode
00:00 “I’ll be damned if I’m going to be a second-class citizen”
01:00 Welcome to ListenABLE
02:05 Meet Santiago “Santi” Velasquez
03:24 Growing up blind in Colombia
06:14 Becoming a blind electrical engineer
09:12 Learning mathematics, coding and engineering through Braille
10:28 The tactile display that lets people feel a screen
15:22 Is artificial intelligence actually accessible?
20:58 Why blind children still need to learn Braille
24:07 High expectations instead of charity
25:58 The three buses that inspired Halo
28:44 Why disability-led inventions benefit everyone
30:20 How passengers with disability become invisible to transport systems
31:55 Santi’s global ambition for Halo
34:39 How the Halo public transport app works
36:25 Who should pay for accessible transport technology?
38:14 Creating accountability across transport and rideshare services
42:36 Why sharing lived experience matters
44:04 The Bowl of Uncomfortable
46:10 What people need to know about guide dogs
48:07 Santi’s final message
Learn more about Santi and Hailo
Request Hailo in your city:

Download and use Halo if you are travelling on participating services in Victoria.

Follow the ListenABLE hosts
Dylan Alcott:
https://www.instagram.com/dylanalcott/
Angus O’Loughlin:
https://www.instagram.com/angus_oloughlin/
ListenABLE:
https://www.instagram.com/listenable_podcast/

Production
ListenABLE is recorded and produced in partnership with SESSION in PROGRESS, Melbourne’s video podcast studio and production team.
SESSION in PROGRESS:
https://sessioninprogress.com.au/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/session.in.progress/

Subscribe to ListenABLE for honest, funny and educational conversations about disability, accessibility and the experiences that connect us.
#Disability #Accessibility #PublicTransport

ListenABLE

AI Is Failing People With Disability. A Blind Engineer Explains Why

In 1988, Mark Dorrity went for a run on a 35-degree day in regional New South Wales. He was leading the race when severe heat stroke caused his body to shut down.

Mark spent 70 days unconscious in intensive care. He lost most of the muscle in his body, underwent a high-level leg amputation and was given little certainty about what life after hospital could look like.

But this is not simply a story about survival.

In this episode of ListenABLE, Mark joins Dylan Alcott and Angus O’Loughlin to share how he rebuilt his life from the ground up. From learning to stand again, returning to full-time work and confronting inaccessible public spaces, to retraining his brain through Toastmasters decades later, Mark’s story is a powerful lesson in resilience, neuroplasticity and choosing to keep moving forward.

Mark also reflects on how far disability access and inclusion have come in Australia since the late 1980s, why accessible parking matters far more than people realise, and why he refuses to live with regret.

What happened when Mark collapsed from severe heat stroke during an eight-kilometre race

Waking up in intensive care 70 days later

The moment Mark learned his leg had been amputated

Rebuilding strength after losing most of his muscle mass

Returning to work after a life-changing injury

Living with a high-level amputation and why a prosthesis was not sustainable for Mark

How disability access and inclusion have changed since the late 1980s

The reality behind accessible parking and public spaces

Neuroplasticity, Toastmasters and retraining the brain later in life

Why resilience is not about avoiding difficulty, but choosing to keep showing up

00:00 The moment Mark’s life changed
01:31 A race, extreme heat and collapsing near the finish line
04:35 Waking up 70 days later in intensive care
07:14 The decision to amputate or let Mark die
09:48 Accepting a new reality immediately
11:10 Learning how to live again after intensive care
13:06 Seeing his story on the front page of the newspaper
14:55 Why a wheelchair was not practical for Mark
16:39 The first time using a walking frame in public
18:11 Where Mark’s resilience came from
19:02 What disability access was like in Australia in the late 1980s
21:42 How Mark views disability today
24:59 Prosthetics, pain and adapting to life without one
27:05 Returning to full-time work
27:46 Cognitive recovery, speech and Toastmasters
30:20 Neuroplasticity and retraining the brain
32:08 Seeing his body after amputation
33:25 Would Mark warn himself before the race?
34:50 Mark’s message on risk, resilience and living fully

Mark Dorrity, heat stroke survivor, amputation recovery, high-level amputation, disability podcast Australia, disability inclusion, accessibility Australia, neuroplasticity, resilience story, life after amputation, Dylan Alcott podcast, ListenABLE podcast, disability advocacy, rehabilitation journey, Toastmasters recovery

He Was Winning the Race. Then His Body Shut Down

Spencer West returns to ListenABLE for an honest and powerful conversation about disability, accessibility and what it really means to be seen.Four years after his first appearance on the podcast, Spencer joins Angus O’Loughlin in person to talk about Melbourne’s accessibility, able-bodied assumptions, language around disability, social media advocacy and the moments from his life that people often romanticise from the outside.Spencer opens up about growing up without legs, rejecting prosthetics, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, feeling excluded from inaccessible queer spaces and learning that he does not always have to share his story just because someone asks.Guest Links: Spencer Westhttps://linktr.ee/spencer2thewesthttps://www.spencer2thewest.com/https://www.instagram.com/spencer2thewest/https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer2thewesthttps://www.youtube.com/user/Spencer2TheWest00:00 Spencer West returns to ListenABLE02:04 Melbourne accessibility and public transport03:28 When accessibility is gatekept04:42 Should people get praise for accessible spaces?05:52 Spencer explains his disability07:43 The assumption about disability people need to drop09:04 Disability language and using the word disabled11:32 Learning to advocate for his own body13:49 The truth about climbing Kilimanjaro16:21 Social media, responsibility and disability advocacy17:17 Feeling more visible than misunderstood17:47 Using humour to educate

Spencer West on the Truth About Being Seen

Australia’s winter Paralympic star Ben Tudhope joins ListenABLE for one of the most honest and emotionally grounded conversations of the series.

From becoming Australia’s youngest ever Winter Paralympian at just 14 years old, to returning home from the 2026 Winter Paralympics with two medals, Ben opens up about pressure, identity, confidence, loneliness, disability, and the mindset that helped him compete on the world stage.

In this episode, Ben shares what it actually feels like to perform under Paralympic expectation, why he refuses to let medals define him, and how growing up with cerebral palsy shaped his resilience, humour, and outlook on life.
He also speaks candidly about loneliness as an elite athlete, travelling the world away from family, learning to enjoy his own company, and why being “inspiring” is often misunderstood when it comes to disability and Paralymic sport.

Whether you love elite sport, mindset conversations, disability advocacy, or simply hearing incredible human stories, this episode is packed with perspective, vulnerability and moments that will stay with you long after listening.

Follow Ben: https://www.instagram.com/bentudhope/
Follow Us: https://www.instagram.com/listenable_podcast/
In This Episode
- Ben Tudhope’s journey to becoming a Paralympic snowboard medalist
- Competing at four Winter Paralympic Games
- The pressure of backing up success after Beijing
- Why Ben doesn’t define himself by medals
- Growing up with cerebral palsy
- The role Ben’s parents played in his confidence
- Snowboarding, identity and elite athlete mindset
- Loneliness and sacrifice in elite sport
- The overuse of the word “inspirational”
- What people misunderstand about Paralympians
- Learning to control the controllables
- Confidence, humour and living with disability
- Ben’s reflections on success, pressure and happiness

About ListenABLE
ListenABLE is hosted by Dylan Alcott and Angus O’Loughlin, sharing raw, funny, vulnerable and powerful conversations with people living with disability and the people reshaping how Australia thinks about disability, identity and inclusion.

Follow & SubscribeFollow ListenABLE on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube for new episodes every week.

#Paralympics #BenTudhope #ListenABLE #Disability #CerebralPalsy #Snowboarding #WinterParalympics #Mindset #MentalHealth #AustralianPodcast #AdaptiveSport #DisabilityAdvocacy #DylanAlcott

“I Would’ve Been Happy Without The Medal” | Ben Tudhope

What happens when two best mates decide not to let disability stop them from seeing the world?

In this episode of ListenABLE, Dylan Alcott and Angus O’Loughlin sit down with Fletcher and Lachie, the duo behind the viral social account “Two Mates One Chair”. 

After a mountain biking accident left Fletch paraplegic, the pair turned friendship, humour and pure determination into a global adventure that’s inspiring millions online.

From piggybacking up 270 slippery stairs in Hong Kong, to navigating inaccessible train stations in Europe, ATV mishaps in Brazil, and discovering the kindness of strangers around the world, this conversation is equal parts hilarious, emotional and eye-opening.

The boys open up about:
The reality of travelling the world in a wheelchair
Going viral online while backpacking internationally
Accessibility challenges across Europe, Asia and South America
Fletcher’s life-changing mountain biking accident
Friendship, disability and learning to ask for help
Why people with disability still deserve adventure
The countries that surprised them most with accessibility
How social media has changed perceptions around disability
The messages from followers that changed everything
Why saying “yes” has completely transformed their lives
This is one of the funniest and most uplifting ListenABLE episodes yet, while also delivering an important conversation around accessibility, inclusion and the power of friendship.

Follow Two Mates One Chair 
https://www.instagram.com/twomates1chair/

Follow us:
https://www.instagram.com/listenable_podcast/

00:00 Ability Fest & Dylan Alcott Foundation
02:40 Meet “Two Mates One Chair”
05:50 The first viral video
07:14 Accessibility around the world
16:14 Fletcher’s mountain bike accident
20:40 Learning the art of the piggyback
27:00 What happens after the trip ends?
29:00 Advice for young people with disability
32:00 “My life is 10 times better now”
35:50 How people treat disability overseas
38:00 Dating, nightlife & travelling together
39:40 What’s next for the boys?

disability travel stories ,paraplegic travel, wheelchair backpacking ,accessible tourism, spinal cord injury recovery, wheelchair travel vlog, disability awareness podcast, ListenABLE podcast, inclusive travel, viral travel story, Australian travel creators, adaptive lifestyle

Two Mates, One Chair: The Travel Series Changing Disability Perceptions

What happens when someone refuses to accept the limits placed on them?

This week on ListenABLE, Angus O’Loughlin and Dylan Alcott sit down with Brodie Taylor, the first person in Australia to become a qualified wheelchair netball umpire.

Diagnosed with transverse myelitis at just seven months old, Brodie has spent his life navigating disability, accessibility and assumptions. But instead of accepting barriers, he found a way to create history in Australian sport.
Brodie shares how netball unexpectedly found him, how officiating gave him a new purpose, and why confidence is often the biggest difference-maker for people with disability.He also opens up on wanting a future career in politics, where he hopes to help drive accessibility and meaningful change across Australia.

Topics Covered
- Becoming Australia’s first wheelchair netball umpire
- Living with transverse myelitis
- Disability and sport misconceptions
- Confidence and self-belief
- Why representation matters
- Netball strategy and officiating
- Accessibility in Australia
- Future ambitions in politics

Best Quotes
“Disability doesn’t mean inability.”
“It’s you against the world. If you want it, go get it.”
“Once you have confidence in yourself, no one can stop you.”
“We can’t change everything overnight, but we can start.”

Chapters
00:00 Meet Brodie Taylor
02:01 Making Australian netball history
03:23 Diagnosed at seven months old
06:58 Finding netball and purpose
10:16 Becoming an umpire
13:21 Breaking bias in sport
18:10 Why politics is next
21:43 Confidence and disability
24:49 Advice for the next generation
27:14 Bowl of Uncomfortable

Brodie Taylor, wheelchair netball umpire, ListenABLE podcast, Dylan Alcott podcast, disability sport Australia, accessible sport, netball Australia, transverse myelitis, disability advocate Australia

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