Meet our Peer Facilitators
Image of Bill
Bill Zhao
Bill is a Peer Facilitator for the Young Adults Peer Café.
Bill is passionate about public transport and enjoys helping people to get the people from point A to B.
Bill enjoys the diversity at DDAlliance, where people can learn from each other and have their own say and opinions. While we have different views, most peers atleast have something in common.
In other parts of his life, Bill enjoys interacting with people, continued learning, chatting to friends on social media and catching up with peers.
Bill is a Peer Facilitator for the Young Adults Peer Café.
Bill is passionate about public transport and enjoys helping people to get the people from point A to B.
Bill enjoys the diversity at DDAlliance, where people can learn from each other and have their own say and opinions. While we have different views, most peers atleast have something in common.
In other parts of his life, Bill enjoys interacting with people, continued learning, chatting to friends on social media and catching up with peers.
Image of Julie Magill
Julie Magill
Julie Magill lives in Bankstown, in South West Sydney on Darug Land. She is a Peer Researcher and Facilitator with the CALD Peer Café, Women’s Group and Eastern Suburbs Peer Café. She is also a Treasurer with the DDAlliance Board.
She is very passionate about becoming an advocate for changing attitudes, perceptions, education, and inclusion in the disability space and community.
She would like to see people with disability from CALD backgrounds to feel respected, valued, connected and included within their local communities.
Since joining DDAlliance, she enjoys seeing peers supporting and looking out for each other, sharing her knowledge, learning new skills, networking, connecting with other peers, building new relationships with other disability organisations and allies and making new friends.
She has over twenty years experience working in Administration and Service Delivery with the Australian Bureau of Statistics. She also worked on the 2019 NSW State Election (batching and counting votes). Currently, she is involved with her local council in different projects: to celebrate International Day of People With Disability and with the Disability Inclusion Action Plan. She is also involved with the Zero Barriers initiative.
She enjoys watching sports such as cricket, basketball (Sydney Kings), AFL; and plays bocce, cricket and trivia; and reads.
Julie Magill lives in Bankstown, in South West Sydney on Darug Land. She is a Peer Researcher and Facilitator with the CALD Peer Café, Women’s Group and Eastern Suburbs Peer Café. She is also a Treasurer with the DDAlliance Board.
She is very passionate about becoming an advocate for changing attitudes, perceptions, education, and inclusion in the disability space and community.
She would like to see people with disability from CALD backgrounds to feel respected, valued, connected and included within their local communities.
Since joining DDAlliance, she enjoys seeing peers supporting and looking out for each other, sharing her knowledge, learning new skills, networking, connecting with other peers, building new relationships with other disability organisations and allies and making new friends.
She has over twenty years experience working in Administration and Service Delivery with the Australian Bureau of Statistics. She also worked on the 2019 NSW State Election (batching and counting votes). Currently, she is involved with her local council in different projects: to celebrate International Day of People With Disability and with the Disability Inclusion Action Plan. She is also involved with the Zero Barriers initiative.
She enjoys watching sports such as cricket, basketball (Sydney Kings), AFL; and plays bocce, cricket and trivia; and reads.
Image of Maina
Maina Gordon
Maina is a Peer Facilitator with the Circles Widen project, and is a DDAlliance member.
With DDAlliance, Maina loves being with her peers, and caring and sharing in this space. She has learnt and contributed so much in the DDAlliance sessions.
She has been trained as a Peer Facilitator. Maina is also a lawyer and a volunteer with Multiple Sclerosis Australia, Cancer Council and the Pink Sari project. Maina is also a mother of two grown up girls whom she adores and who adore her.
Maina loves wining and dining, and exercising such as swimming despite the barrier of using a wheelchair. Maina encourages others to do the same!
Maina is a Peer Facilitator with the Circles Widen project, and is a DDAlliance member.
With DDAlliance, Maina loves being with her peers, and caring and sharing in this space. She has learnt and contributed so much in the DDAlliance sessions.
She has been trained as a Peer Facilitator. Maina is also a lawyer and a volunteer with Multiple Sclerosis Australia, Cancer Council and the Pink Sari project. Maina is also a mother of two grown up girls whom she adores and who adore her.
Maina loves wining and dining, and exercising such as swimming despite the barrier of using a wheelchair. Maina encourages others to do the same!
Image of Pauline
Pauline David
Pauline wears many hats at DDAlliance, ranging from her involvement in projects to representing DDAlliance and her peers in the community.
Pauline was first introduced to DDAlliance by a peer, who invited her to attend an “Our Space” event in 2017. Pauline felt she shared a commonality with other peers, and that we could create change within our community. This led her to undertake Peer Mentoring and Peer Facilitation training, and to become a Peer Worker with DDAlliance.
Pauline is passionate about improving access and inclusion for people with disability. Being a person born with disability, she has experienced many barriers, which led to her passion in doing what she can to create change. Pauline has been involved in the implementation of the Disability Inclusion Action Plan with her local council, and with reference groups and committees with other organisations.
Pauline believes peer support is valuable. It’s a community within a community where there’s no judgement. A safe space where you can open up and be yourself, while sharing your lived experience and learning from others. Peer support has given Pauline comfort in knowing she’s not alone, and that when she speaks up, she’s not only speaking up for herself but for other peers too.
Besides spending time with her DDAlliance family, Pauline enjoys a very active social life and a healthy work/life balance.
Pauline wears many hats at DDAlliance, ranging from her involvement in projects to representing DDAlliance and her peers in the community.
Pauline was first introduced to DDAlliance by a peer, who invited her to attend an “Our Space” event in 2017. Pauline felt she shared a commonality with other peers, and that we could create change within our community. This led her to undertake Peer Mentoring and Peer Facilitation training, and to become a Peer Worker with DDAlliance.
Pauline is passionate about improving access and inclusion for people with disability. Being a person born with disability, she has experienced many barriers, which led to her passion in doing what she can to create change. Pauline has been involved in the implementation of the Disability Inclusion Action Plan with her local council, and with reference groups and committees with other organisations.
Pauline believes peer support is valuable. It’s a community within a community where there’s no judgement. A safe space where you can open up and be yourself, while sharing your lived experience and learning from others. Peer support has given Pauline comfort in knowing she’s not alone, and that when she speaks up, she’s not only speaking up for herself but for other peers too.
Besides spending time with her DDAlliance family, Pauline enjoys a very active social life and a healthy work/life balance.
Image of Quang
Quang Nguyen
Quang is a Peer Facilitator with the Peer Café for Peers from Vietnamese Backgrounds.
He is passionate about accessible transport for people with disability. He wants to change community attitudes for people to understand the power of accessible transport for people with disability. Quang likes to share his own experience of non-accessible transport, and talk about how he overcame these barriers with peers.
Quang has also been a Living Life My Way Champion, where he shared his own experiences and raised awareness around having flexibility, choice and control with his supports. This was in the lead up to the NDIS transition in 2018.
Quang has completed a Certificate III in Business at TAFE, and now has a successful presenter and technology business. In 2012 and 2014, he was nominated for the Australian of the Year Award.
He is from South West Sydney and enjoys playing sports, fishing, designing car technology and reading. He lives with cerebral palsy and verbally communicates by using his phone and computer's text-to-speech function.
Quang is a Peer Facilitator with the Peer Café for Peers from Vietnamese Backgrounds.
He is passionate about accessible transport for people with disability. He wants to change community attitudes for people to understand the power of accessible transport for people with disability. Quang likes to share his own experience of non-accessible transport, and talk about how he overcame these barriers with peers.
Quang has also been a Living Life My Way Champion, where he shared his own experiences and raised awareness around having flexibility, choice and control with his supports. This was in the lead up to the NDIS transition in 2018.
Quang has completed a Certificate III in Business at TAFE, and now has a successful presenter and technology business. In 2012 and 2014, he was nominated for the Australian of the Year Award.
He is from South West Sydney and enjoys playing sports, fishing, designing car technology and reading. He lives with cerebral palsy and verbally communicates by using his phone and computer's text-to-speech function.
Image of Young-Joo
Young-Joo Byun
Young-Joo is a Facilitator and Mentor.
She is passionate about disability access, with a particular interest in access for Deaf people. Recently, she’s expanded her interest to also include deaf-blind peers.
Young-Joo would like everyone to have the same level of access to information and communication, and to raise the awareness of Auslan (i.e. Australian Sign Language).
Young-Joo lives with two hearing aids to assist her in listening and lip-reading. She enjoys listening to music and sounds around her using easyTek (hearing support via Bluetooth).
Young-Joo enjoys bringing confidence and sharing knowledge to peers and communicating at an equal level. DDAlliance provides Young-Joo with a safe and comfortable space to share her experiences with peers and allies.
Young-Joo is currently involved in many community areas; with acting being one of her specialities. Currently, she is participating in a drama/film created by and about the Korean immigrant community, magnifying little and big problems, and fun stories that happen in life.
She also does Auslan training with parents with Deaf children and families that need support.
Young-Joo is a Facilitator and Mentor.
She is passionate about disability access, with a particular interest in access for Deaf people. Recently, she’s expanded her interest to also include deaf-blind peers.
Young-Joo would like everyone to have the same level of access to information and communication, and to raise the awareness of Auslan (i.e. Australian Sign Language).
Young-Joo lives with two hearing aids to assist her in listening and lip-reading. She enjoys listening to music and sounds around her using easyTek (hearing support via Bluetooth).
Young-Joo enjoys bringing confidence and sharing knowledge to peers and communicating at an equal level. DDAlliance provides Young-Joo with a safe and comfortable space to share her experiences with peers and allies.
Young-Joo is currently involved in many community areas; with acting being one of her specialities. Currently, she is participating in a drama/film created by and about the Korean immigrant community, magnifying little and big problems, and fun stories that happen in life.
She also does Auslan training with parents with Deaf children and families that need support.