Making services more accessible | QPHCN | Disability Action Week

Join us for the final Queensland Primary Health Care Network (QPHCN) event of 2025 as we mark Disability Action Week with an exploration of this year's theme: ‘Communicate. Connect. Create’.

What you'll learn

Discover how healthcare providers and businesses across Queensland are working towards improving disability inclusion through accessible communication, genuine connection and by creating inclusive service design and delivery.

This event merges lived experience and real-world settings including the perspectives of health providers, educators, rehabilitation coordinators, family members and business managers.

Whether you work in metropolitan, regional, rural or remote communities, you'll gain actionable insights for creating an inclusive society that works for everyone.

Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM

We are thrilled to welcome back Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM as this year's event MC!

Dinesh is a doctor, lawyer, disability advocate and researcher who made history as the first quadriplegic medical intern in Queensland and the second person to graduate medical school with quadriplegia in Australia.

As a founding member of Doctors with Disabilities Australia, Dinesh brings unparalleled insight into accessible healthcare delivery. He currently works in the Emergency Department at Gold Coast University Hospital and serves as Senior Lecturer at Griffith University and Adjunct Research Fellow at the Menzies Health Institute of Queensland.

His lived experience combined with clinical expertise makes him the perfect guide for our exploration of how to communicate, connect and create. 

The official event begins at 12:30pm - However, for people coming in person, we ask that you arrive around 12:00pm so you can join us for some networking and a delicious lunch! - Provided by CheckUP

• Join us in person or online. This event will be streamed so you can tune in from anywhere!

• Accessibility: Auslan interpreters will be present on the day, and a quiet space will be available for those attending in person.

• For in person attendance, register by 19 November 2025 to secure your spot and to confirm dietary and accessibility requirements.

Meet our speakers

Debbie Rooskov, CheckUP Australia

Debbie brings over 30 years of experience in community development, specialising in disability inclusion across education, training, and employment. She'll present on the Disability Friendly Business Basics Micro-Credential—a practical tool helping businesses unlock access to Queensland's significant disability customer base while building loyalty and retention.

Joshua Bamford, CPMgr | FIEP

Joshua is an award-winning Disability Employment Practitioner and HR Director overseeing 650+ employees across seven McDonald's restaurants. Living with double-deficit dyslexia himself, he's placed 65+ individuals with disability into meaningful employment and chairs the Darling Downs Disability Employment Taskforce, championing alternative recruitment pathways.

Chithrani Palipana, MRCAA, MIPA, JP (QUAL)

Chithrani is a qualified Rehabilitation Counsellor and Justice of the Peace who empowers people with disability to rebuild confidence and independence. A recognised community advocate for inclusivity and social justice, she brings deep personal and professional insight into creating accessible, equitable opportunities for all Queenslanders.

David "DJ" Johnson, Social Futures

DJ is a Paralympian, educator, and inclusion advocate who won silver at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics after 15 years representing Australia in wheelchair tennis. Now with Social Futures, he delivers wheelchair sports sessions to 5,000+ students annually, using sport and lived experience to break down barriers and educate about accessibility.