Meet our team

In recent years Frances has worked closely with NDIS participants, assisting them to gain entry to the scheme and setting them up in the community with the necessary equipment and supports to enable them to live fulfilling lives. This has involved completion of functional capacity assessments, supported independent living assessments, and assessing clients for appropriate accommodation.

She has spent the last 15 years working as an occupational therapist in acute care settings (hospitals), providing clinical services to adults with physical and cognitive impairments. Frances has a passion for trauma care and worked in a trauma and orthopaedics setting for many years.

Throughout this time she has worked with clients with diverse needs, including: multi-trauma, brain injury, amputees, stroke, degenerative conditions, and those requiring hospital at home set-ups.

Frances has many specialised skills, including:

• Assistive technology assessment and prescription (hoists, hospital beds, mattresses, mobile commodes, manual wheelchairs)
• Functional assessment and ADL retraining
• Home assessment and home modifications
• Pressure injury prevention and management

She believes that everyone has the right to live their life with meaning and purpose, and feels privileged to be able to assist people with a disability to achieve this. Her goal is to assist her clients to live happy, healthy lives as independently as possible.

Frances supports NDIS participants across Port Macquarie.

Sophie was inspired to become an occupational therapist after working in the disability support sector and seeing the difference that professionals in this space can make in people’s lives.

Since gaining her qualifications, Sophie has worked with people across the lifespan, providing a range of supports and services to NDIS participants in the community.

She values getting to know participants by finding out what is important to each individual and helping them achieve their goals. Sophie works with her clients to make everyday life easier by building knowledge and skills, finding new ways of doing things and changing the environment to suit different needs.

Sophie has worked with people of all ages living with disability such as developmental delay, autism, cerebral palsy and stroke. She has clinical experience in:

• Functional capacity assessments
• Supported independent living assessments
• Assistive technology assessments for manual and power wheelchairs, transfer equipment, showering equipment and home modifications
• Everyday skills development for domestic tasks or personal care

Based in Penrith, Sophie is excited to be working with the NDIS community across greater western Sydney.

Mary has four years of clinical experience working as an occupational therapist with children and adolescents living with a range of conditions, including intellectual disability, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, hearing impairments, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, anxiety, and rare genetic disorders.

As part of her therapy work, she has conducted assessments and interventions in the home and community settings, including:

• SOS approach to feeding
• Sleep intervention
• Major home modifications
• Self-care and routine support
• Play and social skills development
• Emotional and sensory regulation support

Mary has three years of experience as a disability support worker, supporting children and teens with cerebral palsy, impaired vision, social anxiety, and autism.

She has also worked as a clinical lead in paediatrics, leading the programming and implementation of therapy group programs such as LEGO social skills group, and the Animal Fun program.

Mary supports her NDIS participants across western Sydney, including in Rooty Hill and the surrounding area.

Elly is excited to join Ability Action Australia, having completed university placement working alongside experienced occupational therapists in the NDIS sector.

Working with participants of all ages, she has an excellent understanding of the NDIS and can provide therapy across various settings.

Elly previously worked as a Paediatric Occupational Therapy Assistant within an NDIS setting, working with children ages 4 to 18. During this time, Elly supported children living with various conditions, including:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• ADHD
• ODD

Elly helped plan group and individual therapy sessions to target fine and gross motor skills, social skills and kindergarten transitions for young children.

She is looking forward to a long future with Ability Action Australia and supporting people to achieve their goals. Elly enjoys working with children, helping them grow and learn about themselves and the world around them

Stacey has significant experience supporting individuals to improve their health and quality of life. She values working with participants by improving their ability to take part in meaningful activities.

Previously, she worked in aged care supporting people living with dementia, MND, Parkinson’s, and age-related conditions.

In her role in residential care, Stacey’s responsibilities included:

• Cognitive assessments
• Equipment prescription
• Pain management
• Pressure care and oedema management
• Seating prescription

Stacey likes to focus on each participant’s individual goals. She is inspired to see progress through therapy and the positive change it has had on her client’s everyday living.

Stacey is excited to be working with Ability Action Australia and NDIS participants across Greater Western Sydney.

Melissa has considerable experience in exercise prescription, rehabilitation from illness and injury, strength and conditioning, and behaviour change strategies.

She has prescribed exercise programs for NDIS participants with a wide range of conditions, including spinal cord injury, brain injury, cerebral palsy, stroke, cancer, multiple sclerosis, autism, and depression and anxiety.

Melissa has experience with cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, women’s health, and active ageing, as well as with athletes in pre- and post-injury rehabilitation.

Her diverse set of skills and abilities includes:

• Initial assessments, such as strength and endurance tests, and functional measures
• Ongoing exercise prescription and progressive testing to ensure all participants are reaching their health and wellbeing goals
• Tailoring exercise sessions to different settings, providing gym-based exercise, home- and park-based training, and hydrotherapy services

Working one-on-one and in groups with adults, adolescents and children, Melissa enjoys helping people achieve their goals and get more out of their daily lives in a fun and supportive environment.

A passionate advocate for using exercise as medicine to optimise overall health and fitness, Melissa is excited to be developing exercise routines for NDIS participants across Western Sydney.

Emma has extensive experience and has worked within the NDIS community in Newcastle for almost seven years. She works across the lifespan (0-65 years old) and absolutely loves working with the infant, paediatric and adult populations.

She has significant training and experience in assisting participants living with cerebral palsy, traumatic and acquired brain injuries, stroke, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities, developmental delays, and more.

With a strong evidence-based and goal-centred approach to her work, Emma has a great deal of knowledge and passion for the following types of interventions:

• Complex assistive technology and equipment prescription, including complex seating for children and adults
• Infant and child development and play-based therapy
• Bimanual therapy and constraint-induced movement therapy

She has a warm and supportive style of leadership and enjoys encouraging her colleagues and occupational therapy students through supervision and mentoring.

Emma has a passion for ensuring all people are given opportunities to reach their full potential, regardless of their background or ability. She loves building relationships with her participants and families, and supporting them to reach their hopes and dreams.

She is delighted to be part of the team at Ability Action Australia and supports NDIS participants across the Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Hunter and Central Coast regions.

Sarah has worked in the NDIS space since starting out as an Occupational Therapist more than two years ago.

She has been lucky to support people aged 2 to 70 years living with physical and intellectual disability, neurological conditions, autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing challenges, and developmental delays.

Sarah is able to complete:

• Functional capacity assessments
• Paediatric assessments
• Sensory assessments
• Assistive technology prescription
• Minor home modifications
• A variety of standardised assessments

She has loved developing her skills in the paediatric space and implementing a strong client and family-centred approach to therapy. She is passionate about building therapeutic rapport with children and their families in a fun and safe environment.

Sarah is always excited to meet her clients with their families/carers and build a strong therapeutic rapport. She believes a great part of her job is explaining the different activities of daily living we can support and creating goals specific to the clients and their environments.

She is excited to be working with the team at Ability Action Australia and working with clients in the Hunter New England region of NSW.

Shelby has considerable experience working with NDIS participants, especially young children and adolescents. She has worked in a range of paediatric settings, including schools, and mobile/private clinics.

As a result, she has an in-depth understanding of NDIS processes, such as:

• The application process
• Funding options
• Supports and services
• Plan reviews

During her career, Shelby has administered, scored and interpreted a variety of assessments used for people living with disability, including sensory, behavioural, developmental and functional standardised assessments.

She has had experience with children aged 3 to 19 years living with autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiance disorder, depression, global developmental delay, anxiety disorders, sensory processing disorder, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and physical disabilities.

Through education and training, Shelby has supported families and carers to understand their child’s condition, and help them to use this knowledge to manage their child’s wants and needs and thrive in their daily lives.

Shelby derives her own sense of belonging and happiness from the many things she loves to do in her daily life, and she is grateful that in turn her job allows her to advocate for and support people living with disability to develop their own joy in their everyday lives.

Before joining Ability Action Australia, Josh worked as an Exercise Physiologist and Provisional Behaviour Support Practitioner, developing individualised exercise programs for children, adolescents and adults as part of an NDIS multidisciplinary therapy team.

Over the same period, Josh ran his own business working with and supporting youth living with autism spectrum disorder and helping them to live healthy, happy lives through exercise.

Josh has extensive experience working with children, having worked at a paediatric exercise clinic and in early childhood physical literacy. He also has experience in chronic disease management.

He has conducted many different types of assessments, including:

• Health and mobility assessments (e.g. Timed Up and Go Test, 6 Minute Walk Test, Functional Reach Test)
• Comprehensive motor assessments
• Fundamental Movement Skill Assessment

Josh loves helping people reach that moment when they realise they can do it, and seeing the joy it brings them (e.g. teaching a kid to ride a bike/walk independently/participate in the community). He firmly believes that everyone has the ability to participate in and enjoy physical activity, if given the time, care and support.

He is thrilled to be working with Ability Action Australia, supporting NDIS participants in and around Newcastle.

Monica is an enthusiastic, self-motivated, and highly organised leader and clinician.

Having worked in the NDIS space for the past two years, Monica enjoys supporting participants who live with physical or psychosocial disability.

She has experience in:

• Functional capacity assessments
• Minor and major home modifications
• Housing assessments (Supported independent Living and Supported Disability Accommodation)
• Basic and complex assistive technology prescription
• Developing daily living skills

Monica is passionate about improving an individual’s quality of life and boosting their participation in daily activities through occupational practice and performance.

She has experience in a range of clinical practice areas, including the NDIS, generalised community, aged care, occupational rehabilitation, community paediatrics, in-patient brain injury rehabilitation, sub-acute rehabilitation and acute orthopaedics.

Monica loves to see the way small changes can have a huge impact on a person’s life. She supports NDIS participants of all ages across Brisbane’s northern suburbs.

Rachel has worked with NDIS participants since the rollout of the scheme in Ipswich, in 2017.

She enjoys working with participants to find unique solutions to help them achieve their goals. Rachel loves hearing feedback from clients about how assistive technology or home modifications have improved their access, increased their independence, and helped them achieve their goals.

She has experience working with people living with neurological and physical disabilities across the lifespan.

Rachel has an in-depth understanding of:

• Assistive technology assessments
• Complex home modification assessments
• Functional capacity assessments
• Specialist disability accommodation assessments
• Vehicle modification assessments

Rachel is delighted to be working with participants across Brisbane’s southern suburbs and in Ipswich.

Over the past year, Katee has been working as a fully qualified Occupational Therapist.

Her caseload has primarily involved helping adults with physical, cognitive and psychosocial disabilities. These include intellectual disabilities, muscular dystrophy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Asperger’s syndrome, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and borderline personality disorder.

Katee has been working with a range of funding bodies, including the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Home Care Packages, Enhanced Primary Care, and the NDIS.

Her skills include completing functional capacity assessments, which involve physical, cognitive, psychosocial and sensory evaluation.

She loves being able to support individuals to be as happy and independent in their life as possible. Katee enjoys being able to build relationships with people and work towards being the best they can be in all aspects of their lives.

She supports NDIS participants across north Brisbane.