“I have a dream that people with disability will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by their disability, but by their ability”
Kylie Scott
Kylie is a professional public speaker who shares the experiences of people living with Down syndrome. Over the years, she has represented people with intellectual disabilities on various councils and committees. Currently, she is the NSW Representative on the Down Syndrome Australia (DSA) Down Syndrome Advisory Network (DSAN).
See Kylie’s presentation, ‘Improving Engagement with People with Intellectual Disability.’ This speech was screened and made an exhibit of the Royal Commission into into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability (EXHIBIT 4-1.01 – NSW.9999.0002.0001):
2023
Kylie talked about the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (the CRPD),
legal rights, decision making and easy-to-understand communication.
Tuesday 21 March 2023 was World Down Syndrome Day, which is a day to celebrate
people in our communities who have Down Syndrome.
Members of Wentworth Point Probus and Pulse aqua attendees generously supported Kylie so she could join other self-advocates from around the
world to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day at the United Nations in New York.
2022
Recently, Kylie recorded a talk for Project GROW on intellectual disability health training. Project GROW is run by Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network (CESPHN). You can learn more about the training sessions on intellectual disability here.
Before the 2022 federal election, Kylie spoke on how to vote with the rights of people with disabilities in mind. Hear what Kylie has to say about defending the NDIS.
For World Down Syndrome Day (21 March 2022), Kylie was flown to Melbourne to be on a panel at Inclusion Foundation’s Chairman’s Lunch, at the MCG with Dylan Alcott OAM (2022 Australian of the Year); Cate Sayers (Founder and Director of Inclusion Foundation), and Brian Cook (CEO, Carlton Football Club). The panel discussion addressed ‘How do leaders champion inclusion?’
Also recently, Kylie attended a World Down Syndrome Day afternoon tea at Parliament House NSW. The tea was hosted by the NSW Minister for Families and Communities and Minister for Disability Services, the Hon. Natasha Mclaren-Jones.
Following other speakers, the Sydney Swans AFL CEO Tom Harley confirmed the new 3-year partnership with the Down Syndrome Association of NSW. Kylie is pictured with Tom here.
2021
In December 2021, Kylie was a guest speaker on The Drum. This came after her involvement in the Limb Family Foundation’s report, ‘Reaching Potential – Experiences of Young People with Significant Intellectual Disability.’ Statistics from this report were quoted on The Drum. Kylie spoke with host Ellen Fanning about her experiences, and her passion to speak up for others living with intellectual disability. The report can be read here.
In June 2021, Kylie and other self-advocates met from around the world, organised by Inclusion International over Zoom to discuss deinstitutionalisation. You can read Inclusion International’s Global Self-Advocate Report 2021, ‘Closing Institutions and Living in the Community’ here.
In January 2021, Kylie was featured in the Concord Rotary Channel editorial.
(Tap on the link below to read about Kylie on pages 5-6.)
Speeches
Kylie has presented at conferences, seminars and workshops for various organisations, including Sydney Local Health District and Rotary. She covers topics such as: inclusion, CRPD, rights of persons with disabilities
My journey with disability
Kylie knows what it’s like to be a square peg in a round hole! Her speech offers a window into what it’s like to live with Down syndrome and how the world can be more inclusive of the disability community
The Baggage We Carry
In 2021, Kylie spoke at the Dubai World Down Syndrome Congress about the 17 Key Rights in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD). In this speech, Kylie explains how Australia does not fully recognise her rights under the CRPD:
Non-invasive pregnancy tests (NIPT)
Did you know that 90% of pregnancies diagnosed with Down syndrome are now terminated? Today, parents are still not necessarily given a referral to a counsellor or other services to learn about Down syndrome.
Hear what Kylie has to say about the NIPT, from her perspective as a person with Down syndrome. Watch excerpt:
These talks are suitable for conferences, corporate training, employment agencies, community organisations and other workplaces.