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.

Shiarna is an integral part of our multidisciplinary therapy team. Guided by our fully qualified therapists, she is involved in producing therapy resources, organising and running groups, and supporting our valued clients to achieve their goals.

Before joining Ability Action Australia, Shiarna worked with adolescents and adults living with autism. Her role as a mentor was to engage with these individuals and their families to provide quality care, guidance and mentorship on life skills.

To date, her university placements have included positions in an acute hospital environment, working in the renal, acute surgical, and sub-acute rehabilitation wards. Shiarna completed initial assessments and functional reviews, and provided patients with falls education, energy conversation techniques, pressure care management and equipment prescription.

In addition to studying to become an Occupational Therapist, Shiarna is a qualified lifeguard and has worked at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. She is trained in first aid, CPR, and water safety, and is a designated fire warden.

Her goal is to maximise an individual’s independence, and she derives a great deal of satisfaction from seeing people improve their ability to perform meaningful tasks.

Shiarna is excited about working across western Sydney, helping to guide and support NDIS participants to achieve their goals.

Despite completing a medical degree, Giselle decided to study Occupational Therapy after realising she wanted a career where she could spend more time with her clients.

Prior to joining Ability Action Australia, Giselle was a research assistant at the Black Dog Institute, where she administered neurostimulation to clients with depression.

She was also a support worker, helping vulnerable clients and their families living with a range of conditions. She worked with people living with mental health conditions such as schizoaffective disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and autism, as well as paediatric clients with newly diagnosed leukaemia. She also helped older clients living with dementia, which she could relate to personally as her grandmother has this condition.

Her university studies consisted of clinical placements with:

• Calvary Hospital home modification team, evaluating their home modification process by interviewing clients/attending home visits
• Scalabrini (nursing home), organising and leading exercise classes
• Bankstown (acute inpatient), conducting functional reviews, initial assessments, prescribing commodes/shower chairs

Giselle’s Chinese clients enjoy spending time with her, playing Mahjong, practising Chinese writing, and making Chinese dishes. One of her clients introduced her as her ‘granddaughter from the government’, which gave her great joy because it meant she was viewed as a family member, not just a worker.

She enjoys seeing her participants smile, realise their dreams, and simply say ‘thank you’.

Giselle supports people across eastern 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.