If elected, Paul Larcombe will be the first Australian Senator to be blind. And it’s a prospect he relishes.
Having worked in federal, state and local government for almost 25 years, Paul decided 2019 was the time to run as an independent QLD candidate in this year’s federal election. He wants to be the Senator who can make a real difference to the lives of people with disability.
“Many politicians and senior bureaucrats I was speaking with had no concept of a lived experience of disability but were making long term decisions about us. I realised I was that someone who could make a difference,” said Paul.
“It’s taken a long time for countries like Australia to open up their political environments to be accessible enough for people with a disability to be truly involved at a political level and not just as voters,” he said.
With previous experience reading 800 to 1000 pages of legislation reviews, Paul isn’t daunted by the work involved as a senator and said with his screen reader he can listen at up to 600 words per minute.
“Most documents coming out from the Australian Parliament and the electoral commission are accessible. Finding the documents is another matter. The websites are loaded with information and difficult to navigate with a screen reader,” said Paul.
“Luckily I have an incredible support network, an amazing array of people on my team, many of whom have a disability.”
Listen to the full interview with Paul Larcombe on Talking Vision here.
