A dinner for people who find their disability the least interesting thing about them.

Maybe you've tried a support group. Maybe you got called a "resilient warrior babe" and never went back (this was me!). Maybe you've scrolled through disability community pages looking for your people and found everyone a little too at peace with it all.

Because what you actually wanted wasn't a room full of people celebrating their diagnosis, it was just a room full of people living their lives, disability included.

You're not alone in that.

The Disability Dinner Club is a small, intentionally designed night out in Melbourne, for people living with physical disability or chronic illness who don't want it to be the headline of the evening. There is hosted and gently facilitated conversation, delicious food and drinks, all in a room where you don't have to translate yourself.

This isn't a panel. It's not a networking night. It's not "tell us your trauma." It's a good night out, just better designed.

This month's location | Hawker Hall on Chapel St

This month, we're keeping it casual and delicious with $15 noodles at Hawker Hall, one of Melbourne's favourite Southeast Asian hawker-style venues. Their full à la carte menu is available too if you'd like to order more.Everyone orders and pays for their own meal on the night.

You can view their full menu HERE
Read Access with Ash's review of this location HERE

Why we built this

We started Wayfarer Mobility to redesign mobility aids from the ground up - to create canes and crutches that are functional, beautifully designed, and built for the lives people actually live. Because the current options are clinical at best and stigmatising at worst, and the people who use them deserve better than that.

The further I got into using mobility aids myself, the more I realised the product was only part of it. The community options weren't much better than the product options. I've encountered two flavours of disability community: toxic positivity or commiseration circle. I subscribe to neither. Personally, I find my disability to be the least interesting thing about me. When I couldn't find a circle that matched that, I decided to make my own.

Who this is for

People doing physical disability or chronic illness a little differently.
People who crave normal life but have to work harder than most to access it.
People who carry mobility aids, who do the mental maths before saying yes, and who still don't want disability to be the main conversation topic. Not hidden. Just not centre stage.

This isn't for everyone by design. If you want a traditional support group or a space to lead with your diagnosis, this probably isn't it. If you want a room where you can just be a person, it absolutely is.

A quick note: this is specifically for people with physical disability, chronic illness and mobility-limiting conditions. There are plenty of wonderful spaces for the neurodivergent community. This one is for people with crappy bodies who are still very much running the show.

What to expect on the night

A small, curated dinner (capped guest list)
Hosted and gently facilitated conversation. No awkward small talk required!
Delicious food and drinks - everyone orders and pays for their own meal on the night
No pressure to disclose diagnosis details or history
Partners, friends, and support people welcome (make sure to book a ticket for them too!)
Accessibility already considered. No mental gymnastics needed.
A focus on normalcy, ease, and a room where you can arrive as you are and leave feeling more like yourself

About the ticket fee

Your ticket covers the organisation of the evening, venue research & booking, facilitation, activities, group service fees, etc.
Food and drinks are ordered and paid for individually on the night, so you're only paying for what you actually consume.

I can't wait to see you there!

xx Sam

Come find us

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Contact the host of Disability Dinner Club // Melbourne