Microboards Australia is a family led, not for profit organisation supporting people with a disability and their networks of support to find ways to develop lasting relationships, recruit support teams and plan for the future.
Our vision is for all people with a disability living self determined lives with a sustained support network of family, friends and committed support people and community members who share parts of their lives and know them well. We believe that all people have the right to the life they choose which respects them as a member of community and family and upholds their universal human rights.
Explore what we do
Microboards Community
Interested in establishing a Microboard or embedding the Microboard principles of sustainable support networks founded on relationships?
Professional Services
NDIS behaviour support, therapy and support coordination programs and services for families, individuals and service providers.
Supporting Change
Interested to know about our projects, advocacy, disability service improvement and access work we engage in?
Learning Hub
Resources, training and information that you can access or sign up to from across our services
Our Values
Relationships
We value our relationship with you and helping you develop relationships with others.
Learning
We are always learning from you, your family and supporters to find new ways to be of service.
Inclusion
Everyone belongs as equal members of community.
Innovation
We support you to have a good life by thinking outside the box, creating novel solutions and pathways.
Quality
We aspire to providing the best quality services possible.
Person Led
We support by being in partnership with you following your lead for what is important to you and your life.
Microboards Australia
1,190
A self-determined life, with a sustained support network of family and friends who know you well.
We are thrilled to welcome Elissa to our Behaviour Support Team.
Elissa lives in Bundaberg Queensland and came to us wanting to work with our incredible team based on our values and approach to partnership models of practice.
She also wanted to be immersed in a team that lives and breathes the promotion of rights, wellbeing and self determination of all people with disability driven by family leadership organisation.
Elissa is a psychologist with a specific background in early years education and family support. She lives and breathes family centred practice.
Elissa is open to new referrals in her area. So if you know of anyone who needs support, please go to our website and let us know!
#microboards.org.au
Elissa lives in Bundaberg Queensland and came to us wanting to work with our incredible team based on our values and approach to partnership models of practice.
She also wanted to be immersed in a team that lives and breathes the promotion of rights, wellbeing and self determination of all people with disability driven by family leadership organisation.
Elissa is a psychologist with a specific background in early years education and family support. She lives and breathes family centred practice.
Elissa is open to new referrals in her area. So if you know of anyone who needs support, please go to our website and let us know!
#microboards.org.au
A reflection from one of our PS team... posting on their behalf.
"I just wanted to share my experience.
Today, the most lovely people arrived at 7:00am to pack the few things I have not packed yet, to prepare for our move.
Were they kind – YES
Did they ask my permission –YES
Did I know they were coming and what they were here for - YES
Did I feel Regulated – NO NO NO !!!!
I had to lay in my bed for half an hour in response to my body's automatic stress response and my partner was very neuro-affirming and let me 💕
It has really reminded me to think about the things that matter for the people I support, when we are looking for the “reasons” and perhaps when we are actively proactively supporting and 'meeting needs'. For me, all the right supports were in place!
I think people coming in and out of your home and your personal space and the expectation to “trust” them is a very important “reason” we need to consider. That people simply might let us know they feel unsafe at any time, in ways that others find challenging.
It reinforced why we need to focus on in the moment support when they are struggling, and not to have support plans that focus on desensitising and just skill building (coping with challenging situations/getting over it).
It made me think even more about pre-empting tricky situations and being there to provide regulation support in the moment, because stress responses can happen at any time.💕
"I just wanted to share my experience.
Today, the most lovely people arrived at 7:00am to pack the few things I have not packed yet, to prepare for our move.
Were they kind – YES
Did they ask my permission –YES
Did I know they were coming and what they were here for - YES
Did I feel Regulated – NO NO NO !!!!
I had to lay in my bed for half an hour in response to my body's automatic stress response and my partner was very neuro-affirming and let me 💕
It has really reminded me to think about the things that matter for the people I support, when we are looking for the “reasons” and perhaps when we are actively proactively supporting and 'meeting needs'. For me, all the right supports were in place!
I think people coming in and out of your home and your personal space and the expectation to “trust” them is a very important “reason” we need to consider. That people simply might let us know they feel unsafe at any time, in ways that others find challenging.
It reinforced why we need to focus on in the moment support when they are struggling, and not to have support plans that focus on desensitising and just skill building (coping with challenging situations/getting over it).
It made me think even more about pre-empting tricky situations and being there to provide regulation support in the moment, because stress responses can happen at any time.💕
We're Hiring! Speech Pathologist with deep values and experience in supporting people with Complex Communication Access Needs 🌟
Are you a Speech Pathologist who thrives on supporting people with complex communication access needs?
Do you value flexibility, autonomy, and being part of a deeply experienced and values-driven team?
At Microboards Australia, we’re looking for a passionate and skilled Speech Pathologist to join us in unique and flexible roles. Whether you're seeking to work independently and perhaps alongside your own business while aligning with our values and support practices, or you're looking to be more embedded in our collaborative multidisciplinary team — we’re open to shaping the right fit for you.
🔍 What We’re Looking For:
Experience and passion for supporting people with complex communication access needs,
Deeply embedded values and experience in supporting all people to self determine regardless of communication approach,
Ideally, knowledge and skills in regulation and neuroscience based support,
A commitment to holistic, person and family led, multidisciplinary practice.
We are looking for people based in Perth metro or South West WA (other WA locations considered)
🤝 What We Offer:
Flexible employment models — from collaborative partnerships for people who want to work fairly independently, to salaried positions working closely with our multidisciplinary team.
Opportunities to work alongside our experienced team and with Merger of Minds (Lived experience group of people with CCN who shape our services and approaches).
Potential involvement in innovative projects like our current work on Health Literacy for people with disability and their families.
A supportive, values-aligned environment where your voice and interests shape your work.
If you're ready to make a meaningful impact and grow your practice in a supportive and innovative space, we’d love to hear from you.
📩 Reach out to us to start a conversation — let’s explore what working together could look like. Contact Debbie at debbie@microboards.org.au
hashtag#SpeechPathology hashtag#NDIS hashtag#AAC hashtag#BehaviourSupport
Are you a Speech Pathologist who thrives on supporting people with complex communication access needs?
Do you value flexibility, autonomy, and being part of a deeply experienced and values-driven team?
At Microboards Australia, we’re looking for a passionate and skilled Speech Pathologist to join us in unique and flexible roles. Whether you're seeking to work independently and perhaps alongside your own business while aligning with our values and support practices, or you're looking to be more embedded in our collaborative multidisciplinary team — we’re open to shaping the right fit for you.
🔍 What We’re Looking For:
Experience and passion for supporting people with complex communication access needs,
Deeply embedded values and experience in supporting all people to self determine regardless of communication approach,
Ideally, knowledge and skills in regulation and neuroscience based support,
A commitment to holistic, person and family led, multidisciplinary practice.
We are looking for people based in Perth metro or South West WA (other WA locations considered)
🤝 What We Offer:
Flexible employment models — from collaborative partnerships for people who want to work fairly independently, to salaried positions working closely with our multidisciplinary team.
Opportunities to work alongside our experienced team and with Merger of Minds (Lived experience group of people with CCN who shape our services and approaches).
Potential involvement in innovative projects like our current work on Health Literacy for people with disability and their families.
A supportive, values-aligned environment where your voice and interests shape your work.
If you're ready to make a meaningful impact and grow your practice in a supportive and innovative space, we’d love to hear from you.
📩 Reach out to us to start a conversation — let’s explore what working together could look like. Contact Debbie at debbie@microboards.org.au
hashtag#SpeechPathology hashtag#NDIS hashtag#AAC hashtag#BehaviourSupport
July is Disability Pride month. Disability Pride Month has its own flag, with its own meaning.
The five colours represent:
• Green – Invisible and undiagnosed disabilities
• Blue – Mental illness
• White – Sensory disabilities
• Yellow – Neurodiversity and development disabilities
• Red – Physical disabilities
The diagonal line represents the cutting though the barriers people with disabilities face. The black background which represents mourning and rage for victims of ableism.
In our conversations with people, most people with Complex Communication Needs do not know about Disability Pride - and they tell us that it has been important for them to know about Disability Pride and have the chance to talk about it and decide if it is something they support. It can be very important to peoples' sense of self-esteem and identity, and empowering to have a growing sense of solidarity and rights.
The five colours represent:
• Green – Invisible and undiagnosed disabilities
• Blue – Mental illness
• White – Sensory disabilities
• Yellow – Neurodiversity and development disabilities
• Red – Physical disabilities
The diagonal line represents the cutting though the barriers people with disabilities face. The black background which represents mourning and rage for victims of ableism.
In our conversations with people, most people with Complex Communication Needs do not know about Disability Pride - and they tell us that it has been important for them to know about Disability Pride and have the chance to talk about it and decide if it is something they support. It can be very important to peoples' sense of self-esteem and identity, and empowering to have a growing sense of solidarity and rights.
The most recent NDIS policy guidance in PBS talks about assessment and why evidence matters. It was refreshing to see the NDIS talking about evidence bases in greater partnership models of support whereby the voices and engagement of people with disability as the primary evidence bases through lived experience are highlighted. Assessment is never a process of simply sending out questionnaires nor a defined process led by the assumptions of 'professionals'. It is a journey of discovery, that we don't as yet know what we may need to evidence and exactly how until we first listen to people's stories and hopefully co-design the best ways to learn more.
One thing for sure though is that we do certainly need to be evidence based.
Where is your evidence of what you 'think' might be going on? Of course the person's voice and experiences is our best evidence but sometimes knowing of their experience can be a journey.
Every single day we are challenged to think about the importance of continuing to know more and to keep gathering evidence in some form. A recent story from one of the people we support highlights this.
This young person has a superb team of support people and professionals who work tirelessly to understand and meet his needs. Overall his quality of life in the past couple of years is such that he is doing very well... and yet he continued to have times that he was showing others that something is wrong. They have tirelessly also been exploring his health, continuing to advocate for reviews and assessments because they know that health is a major contributor to stress experiences. Through this, a major health issue has recently been found. This young man would have been experiencing a lot of pain for a while now and not being able to tell others in easy ways. So yes evidence and relentless curiosity are critical, but not really the kind that tells us simple interpretations of perceived 'functions of behaviour'. The kind that really delves into body brain experiences.
However, we should not rely on evidence alone. Health and pain, we know are one of the primary reasons for people becoming dysregulated and shifting in to stress responses. We need to be proactive about this, not simply wait for evidence. Our lived experience educators at MA want people to know that EVERYONE with a disability regardless of ableist assumptions about 'capacity and capability' due to communication differences or otherwise, should have access to preventative healthcare. For example, when recently talking about breasts/testicles and health, some did not know that they should check their breasts or testicles or seek support to regularly. Our guess is most people with disability do not know this let alone have just general health checks regularly.
We need to do better.
One thing for sure though is that we do certainly need to be evidence based.
Where is your evidence of what you 'think' might be going on? Of course the person's voice and experiences is our best evidence but sometimes knowing of their experience can be a journey.
Every single day we are challenged to think about the importance of continuing to know more and to keep gathering evidence in some form. A recent story from one of the people we support highlights this.
This young person has a superb team of support people and professionals who work tirelessly to understand and meet his needs. Overall his quality of life in the past couple of years is such that he is doing very well... and yet he continued to have times that he was showing others that something is wrong. They have tirelessly also been exploring his health, continuing to advocate for reviews and assessments because they know that health is a major contributor to stress experiences. Through this, a major health issue has recently been found. This young man would have been experiencing a lot of pain for a while now and not being able to tell others in easy ways. So yes evidence and relentless curiosity are critical, but not really the kind that tells us simple interpretations of perceived 'functions of behaviour'. The kind that really delves into body brain experiences.
However, we should not rely on evidence alone. Health and pain, we know are one of the primary reasons for people becoming dysregulated and shifting in to stress responses. We need to be proactive about this, not simply wait for evidence. Our lived experience educators at MA want people to know that EVERYONE with a disability regardless of ableist assumptions about 'capacity and capability' due to communication differences or otherwise, should have access to preventative healthcare. For example, when recently talking about breasts/testicles and health, some did not know that they should check their breasts or testicles or seek support to regularly. Our guess is most people with disability do not know this let alone have just general health checks regularly.
We need to do better.
Curtin University Courses Information Sessions
Do you work in the education or disability sectors supporting people with disability? Do you feel passionate about quality of life in upholding human rights?
The Curtain School Allied Health offer the courses Graduate Certificate in Complex Communication Needs and Graduate Certificate in Positive Behaviour Support. Two post graduate qualifications, designed to support excellence in practice when working with people with disability.
If you would like to know more contact Curtin University directly.
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