About Us

About Inclusive Rainbow Voices

Who We Are

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet fusce. Nisl blandit fames rhoncus bibendum ridiculus tempor eu massa. Etiam sed platea praesent lobortis auctor montes letius.

Our History

Image alternative description text

2022

Laoreet cursus a malesuada habitant ipsum euismod congue posuere. Justo tempor nulla elit penatibus iaculis ultricies urna eleifend. Maecenas si ultricies mollis hac cubilia amet quisque malesuada odio.

Image alternative description text

2023

Maximus dictum auctor convallis egestas tincidunt euismod feugiat leo fermentum. Magnis ad rutrum nam faucibus elementum letius leo. Etiam suspendisse magnis cursus sapien purus quis.

Our Board

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet fusce. Nisl blandit fames rhoncus bibendum ridiculus tempor eu massa. Etiam sed platea praesent lobortis auctor montes letius.

Jax is seated in their manual wheelchair smiling at the camera. They are wearing a black shirt with blue, green, orange and red frogs on it with a black background, blue shorts and maroon boots with rainbow laces. They have short black hair and are wearing glasses. Their right-hand is touching their glasses so you can see their wheelchair feminist tattoo

Jax Brown (ON LEAVE)(they/them), OAM

Co-Chair

Jax Brown (they/them) is an esteemed disability and LGBTIQA+ rights activist, writer, educator and consultant. Jax is the co-chair of Inclusive Rainbow Voices. Jax’s tireless commitment to LGBTIQA+ disability human rights and advocacy has been recognised with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).

Jax utilises their experience as a queer trans wheelchair user to explore intersectional identities. They view disability as a socio-political question and wants to see solutions with an intersectional lens and equality, access, and human rights at the heart of it.  
Jax has served on the Victorian Disability Advisory Council, Victorian Government’s LGBTI Taskforce Health and Human Services Working Group, and the Victorian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission’s Disability Reference Group.
Jax is interested in how we can build a just and equitable society which fosters resilience, pride and community for LGBTIQA+ people with disabilities.

Ricki Spencer (she/her)

Co-Chair

Ricki Spencer (She/Her) M.Ed. BSW. BA B.Ed. is a qualified teacher, social worker and current student at the University of Melbourne completing their PhD.  They are a public advocate for people living with a disability, transgender, and First Nations who are important identities lived. They are completing their thesis for their research higher degree on “Do secondary school teachers disrupt heteronormative practices in their classrooms?”.

Ricki is the appointed Australian Greens First Nations Network (AGFNN) Social Media Manager, elected Convenor for the Disabilities Working Group Victorian Greens and National Greens steering Committee member for Inclusion.  Ricki has written in areas of trans health, education, Queer and Blak and the values of recycling waste in urban areas.

She is the current Convenor for Sociology of Media in Australia and Sociology of Teaching in Australia of the Australian Sociological Association, LGBTIQ Community Housing Reference Group Member for HAAG, Consumer Advisory Member for CIH Australia, Consumer Panel Member for Royal Melbourne Hospital, Breast Screening Victoria St Vincent’s Hospital and Peer Facilitator at Thorne Harbour Health. Social Media Officer for AASE Australian Association for Special Education teachers and board member for (SEV)Social Education Victoria.  Ricki has over 20 years’ experience working in welfare provision as a social worker and teacher. 

Ricki identifies as a transgender nonbinary person with lived experiences of disability They are passionate about local planning issues in relation to access to health and services for marginalized groups in Victoria. They have qualifications in social work, community planning and education. Ricki has also presented her finding to the Royal Commission for Disability Safety in trans and gender diverse reformation in health education and relationships for queer students with disabilities in Victorian Schools.

Ricki is a member of the Physical Disability Australia (PDA), Co-Chair Rainbow Voices LGBTIQ People with Disabilities  and the current chair for the policy steering committee for ausPATH. Ricki is employed as peer evaluator for Orange Door and Community Educator for No to Violence Campaign.

Margherita Coppolino (she/her)

Secreatary

Margherita is lesbian with disability from a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background. She brings expertise from her intersectional lived experience as well as her activism, advocacy, and professional experience. Margherita has been representing and working on issues for women, people with disability, CALD and disability communities since 1980. 
Margherita has extensive knowledge and experience working with LGBTIQ+ communities and allies. She is well known and well regarded across LGBTIQ+ communities in Victoria, Australia, Oceania and beyond, particularly for her advocacy around LGBTIQ+ disability intersectionality. She is considered as a lesbian elder within Victorian LGBTIQ+ communities.  
 
Margherita currently holds positions as Co-Chairperson of ILGA Oceania and board member of ILGA World. She is appointed to the Victorian Government LGBTIQ+ Taskforce. She is Deputy President of Drummond Street Services’ board and a founding member and Secretary on the management committee of Inclusive Rainbow Voices (LGBTIQA+ People with Disability)

photo of a person standing outside in front of a brick wall, shown from the chest up. They are wearing a black dress with moons and stars printed on it, a necklace with a magen David with a chai in the centre, and a kippah.

Kochava Lilit (zey/zir, they/them)

Board Member

Kochava Lilit (zey/zir, they/them) is a queer disabled activist, educator, and writer. In their work as an access consultant, workshop facilitator, and speaker zey draws on zir lived experience as a non-binary neurodivergent physically disabled Jew, their connections to their queer Disabled communities, and an idea of the future that is shaped by disability justice and transformative justice. Their work can be found at kochavalilit.com .

Photo of Frances in front of a brown wall. The photo shows Frances from her torso up. Frances has short brown hair that is swept to right, with closely cropped sides. Frances is wearing a mustard scarf and a white top with large grey checkered pattern. She is looking to the camera and smiling.

Frances Brennan (she/her)

Board Member

Frances Brennan (she/her) is a speech pathologist, allied health practice owner and
operator, mentor, trainer and disability advocate.

Frances has been working with children and young adults with additional learning needs for
over a decade in a variety of settings, from hospitals, to rehab centres, youth detention
facilities, schools and now at her own holistic neurodiverse-affirming speech pathology clinic
in outer Melbourne.

At the age of 30 Frances was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD. Frances proudly identifies as
neurodiverse and is passionate about changing the way we talk and think about Autism,
particularly countering the experience of shame many young Autistic people experience.

Frances is a regular speaker for Autistic advocacy organisations such as Yellow Ladybugs and
Reframing Autism and regularly conducts training in schools and at not-for-profit organisations so they can better support their young people.

Frances completed her Honours and Master degrees at La Trobe University. In her limited spare time, she enjoys hanging out with her Dachshunds Alfie and Hugo, spoiling her nieces and newphews, DIY projects and trying to avoid mowing the lawn.

Jake Lewis

Treasurer

Jake Lewis is a community development worker & LGBTIQ disability advocate. He has worked extensively in LGBTIQ community health, disability support services and disability advocacy.

Jakes more recent work has involved coordinating LGBTIQ disability projects which aim to:

  • Build the capacity of organisations to be more accessible and inclusive
  • Empower individuals through self-advocacy, participation and co-design of resources
  • Increase understanding and acceptance within the LGBTIQ and broader community
  • Working with government and organisations towards increasing the participation of people with a disability in volunteering.
  • Working with Aboriginal Legal Services to support people, families and communities to share their stories with the Disability Royal Commission.

Jake is also known for his work as DJ and promoter in Melbournes vibrant queer dance community.

Greg Axtens

Board Member

My name is Greg Axtens and I am the ambassador of the Pride Centre. I was born in 1959 and I’ve been an activist in the LGBTQI community since 1989.
I’m hoping to build an LGBTQI disability community International.

Cameron Bloomfield

Board Member

Cameron Bloomfield, is a gay man with an intellectual disability who lives with his partner Jack.

Cameron is the peer worker for Rainbow Rights and Advocacy, a self-advocacy group for LGBTIQ+ people with intellectual disability.

Cameron is a trainer at Voice At The Table, providing professional development to organisations on including people with cognitive disability on management committees and advisory groups.

Cameron has been lead researcher with Deakin University and a project collaborator with Inclusion Melbourne working on projects relating to LGBTIQ+ people with intellectual disability.

Cameron is a founding member of Inclusive Rainbow Voices (LGBTIQA+ People with Disability).