Presentations

Elly Desmarchelier is a disability advocate, writer, and movement builder whose work exists at the crossroads of policy, lived experience, and the kind of systemic change that actually sticks.

Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at birth and with ADHD, Autism, and CPTSD in her late twenties, Elly knows first-hand what it means to navigate systems that were never built with you in mind — and what it takes to change them from the inside out.

She has worked within the NDIS, advised the Office of the Prime Minister, and taken her advocacy to the floor of the United Nations in New York. As a lead voice in the Defend Our NDIS campaign, she has helped shape the national conversation on disability rights — appearing on ABC Q+A, at the Sydney Opera House, and in venues that once would have barely registered disabled voices as worth amplifying.

Elly’s work is defined by a simple conviction: that disabled people don’t just deserve a seat at the table — they should be setting the agenda. In the disability employment space, this means asking harder questions. Not just how many disabled people are employed, but whether those jobs are good ones. Whether workplaces are actually built for us. Whether the sector itself is disability-led.

She brings that same directness to everything she does — including this stage.

Elly is based in Brisbane with her very important Labrador, Spencer Joe Biden.

Aron Mercer (he/him) is a PhD candidate at Griffith University, social entrepreneur, and neurodiversity expert. He is the author of Untapped Talent (2024). He has over 25 years of experience across corporate leadership, non-profits, and social enterprise. Aron is passionate about blending profit with purpose and has founded and advised several social enterprise startups.

Diagnosed with ADHD at 12 and living with hearing loss from a childhood accident, Aron understands the systemic and intersecting barriers people with disabilities face in employment and is determined to dismantle them. Aron was part of the founding team of Xceptional, now Xceptional Academy, a leader in inclusive recruitment. He helped grow the organisation from concept to national impact. This unique work has been recognised by the $1m Google.org Impact Challenge award.

His current PhD research explores how organisational factors and the employee lifecycle infulence disclosure decisions of neurodivergent employees. Aron holds degrees from Macquarie University and Swinburne, with executive education from Stanford and The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Catherine Lee RN, DipOHN, GradCertMgt, GradDipOHS, MA (Res), Ch.OHSProf. is a highly experienced Australian Occupational Health and Safety management consultant with over 30 years’ experience across the private, government and not-for-profit sectors in Australia and the United Kingdom. She is the Director of Lethbridge Piper & Associates, a Queensland-based occupational health and safety consulting firm and Founder of The Neurodiverse Safe Work Initiative, a verified social enterprise dedicated to improving safety and inclusion for neurodivergent workers through evidence-based work design.

Catherine holds postgraduate qualifications in Management and Occupational Health and Safety, and a Master of Arts (Research) from Griffith University. Her original research examined the impacts of ADHD on the safety-related work of pilots in the Australian civil aviation sector, providing a strong empirical foundation for her work at the intersection of neurodiversity and work health and safety.

She is a Chartered Certified OHS Professional (Ch.OHSProf.) with the Australian Institute of Health and Safety, a Certified Principal OHS Auditor and a Professional Coach. Catherine is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Institute of Management Consultants, the International Coaching Federation and holds professional memberships with the Australasian ADHD Professionals Association and the Attention Deficit Disorder Association.

Her work has attracted national and international recognition, with speaking and consulting engagements across New Zealand, North America, Africa and Australia, and recognition for leadership in advancing neuroinclusive and safe work practices.

Alexandra Lazarus-Priestley is Chief Change Officer at Amaze, where she leads Amaze Inclusion, the organisation’s neuroinclusion portfolio. Her work focuses on supporting organisations to understand how workplace systems, leadership practices and everyday expectations shape the experiences and employment outcomes of Autistic and other neurodivergent people.

Alex leads multidisciplinary work spanning research, product development, community engagement and organisational practice. She collaborates with employers, industry bodies and government partners to translate lived experience and research evidence into practical organisational change. Her research interests focus on organisational climates for neurodiversity and how workplace capability can support sustainable employment outcomes.

Alex is Autistic and ADHD, and a parent of neurodivergent children, and her work brings together lived experience, research and strategic leadership to advance neuroinclusive workplaces.