Simone Flavelle is Screenwest's Diversity and Inclusion Manager, developing WA screen industry knowledge and practice around diversity and supporting practitioners identifying as diverse to be included in industry. Simone was previously a Founding Member and Digital Producer at DADAA (Disability in the Arts, Disadvantage in the Arts Australia), designing and implementing arts and cultural projects, workshops and digital mentoring programs with over 90 Western Australians identifying primarily as disability diverse. Led by artists with disability, Simone has supported performers, visual/digital/sound artists and film makers to create works for screen, exhibition, theatre, specific sites and online. She is a parent to two young men living with disability. 

Raf Gonzalez is a Latino multi-disciplinary artis. Born and raised in Perth, he comes from a family of migrants who moved from El Salvador to Australia during the Salvadoran Civil War. Raf is a proud Aspie whose work highlights often-marginalised diverse identities, raising them from supporting character to protagonist and giving them the agency they often aren’t afforded. Raf has been supported by DADAA and the Centre for Stories with his writing. 

Patrick Gunasekera is a self-producing interdisciplinary artist of Sri Lankan migrant heritage, living in Whadjuk Noongar Boodjar. His theatre, dance, music and award-winning written works explore how cycles of violence are normalised in unequal societies, and how marginalised lived experiences are sites of agency, autonomy, knowledge and transformative growth. Patrick’s solo and collaborative performance works have been presented across local and interstate festivals, artist-run initiatives and contemporary performance venues, and his writing has been widely published online and in print. In addition to systemic advocacy in the arts and in public sectors, Patrick has an independent practice as a cultural safety mentor – working with independent artists and small to medium-sized arts organisations to create culturally safe workplaces and ensure underrepresented artists have cultural autonomy over their creative work. He has worked in arts journalism since 2019, exclusively covering the practices of disabled, migrant, queer and young artists through a peer lens. 

Melanie Hawkes works two days a week in Media and Corporate Communications for the Department of Fire and Emergency Services and was the Secretary of Women With Disabilities WA Inc, a non-profit incorporated organisation that is run by women with disabilities for women with disabilities. She graduated from Murdoch University with a double major in Japanese and Communication Studies in 2000 and has since worked as a Japanese interpreter. Melanie is also a User Analyst for Web Key IT, testing websites and documents for compatibility with her assistive technology. She loves socialising with friends and family and attending concerts and events and is thrilled to be involved with Perth Festival. 

Grace King is an assistive technology assessor with the National Disability Insurance Agency. In 2009 Grace came to Perth from Madison, Wisconsin, to volunteer at the Cisco Academy for the Vision-Impaired, teaching people who are blind or have low vision to build and maintain computers along with customer service skills. Before this Grace was working in IT for NASA. Grace is also an award-winning mezzo-soprano and performed alongside Little Birdy gold record-awarded musician Fergus Deasy in Playtime with Grace and Fergus: The Musical at Perth Fringe World in 2019. 

Zel Iscel was born blind and arrived in Australia with her family at the age of six. She began her education with no English but learned quickly because she loves to talk. 

Zel completed her degree in Politics and Government at Edith Cowan University in 2003 and became involved in disability advocacy while at university. She currently runs her own consultancy, Inclusive World, where she provides training in disability awareness, consultation on inclusive events and projects, translates documents into easy read and undertakes many other interesting activities. She became involved in the arts in 2006 when audio described theatre was being trialed in WA. Since then Zel has become an ardent theatre goer and attends other arts events that are audio described.  

In 2018 Zel very fortunately acquired a position on the Board of DADAA, where she is now Secretary. 

Naomi Lake is a health ambassador for Down Syndrome Australia and an employment Ambassador for Down Syndrome WA. As a Health Ambassador she gives presentations and speeches to doctors, nurses, allied health, support workers and students to inform them how to treat people with Down syndrome when they attend their practice. Inclusive communication is a powerful tool. It is very important for health professionals to actively listen and respond to people with Down syndrome and involve them in health care decisions. 

Naomi is committed to being a voice for people who cannot speak up for themselves. She has written and published two children’s story books with another on the way. She was commissioned by Carers WA to write a short biography of her life called Naomi’s World for their ‘disable the label’ project.  She has also written a story that has been put to music and dance and  performed on stage at the Albany Entertainment Centre. 

Naomi tours throughout the State visiting schools and remote communities, sharing her story and conducting literacy sessions. She is passionate about encouraging children to read and write and her visits show them that anything is possible – it inspires children and spurs them on to read more and write their own stories. She is proud to be a leader and a role model. 

When she is not working she enjoys performing arts and has been a participant in several shows. Some of her hobbies include reading, sewing, camping, fishing and cooking when she has time, and her favourite thing to do is to look after her chickens. 

Dureshawar Khan is a proud Esapzai Pashtun woman from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa now settled on Whadjuk Nyoongar Boodja and an award-winning theatre maker, poet and Neuro Inclusion activist. Her works delve deep into themes of vulnerability, connection and belonging, offering a unique perspective from her intersectional identities as a neurodivergent woman, sovereign tribal person and feminist of faith. 
 
Dureshawar is an alumna of the Black Swan Emerging Writers group, a 2023 PICA Artist in Residence and a participant in the Perth Festival Cultural Ambassador program. Her contributions have cemented her reputation as a respected voice in the Boorloo arts community. 
 
In 2021 Dureshawar made history with her critically acclaimed, award-winning show MoR (mother) which became Australia’s first Pashto language theatre work, captivating audiences and critics alike with its raw emotion, poetic script and intimate storytelling. 

Beyond the stage, her academic background in Criminology and Legal studies informs her work in Law and Justice. Drawing from her experience as an AuDHDer, Dureshawar passionately advocates for neuro accessibility within the legal profession and the justice system.