20/08/2026
Australia, we need to have a serious conversation.
Last night, the Australian Parliament passed legislation making significant changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
For some people, this might feel like another piece of legislation.
For people like me, it is deeply personal.
The NDIS has changed my life.
It has given me access to supports that have helped me function, participate, learn, work towards my goals and, perhaps most importantly, believe that I could build a life around the things I AM capable of doing.
And there is a story behind Ambilite Candle Co. that I will never stop telling.
One of my support workers helped me start making candles.
At the time, nobody knew where it would lead.
It wasn't about starting a business.
It was about finding something I enjoyed. Something I could focus on. Something I could create with my hands. Something that gave me confidence.
Those first candles eventually became Ambilite Candle Co.
And Ambilite has grown into something I am incredibly proud of.
The NDIS didn't build my business for me.
It helped give me the support and opportunity to discover that I could build it myself.
That distinction matters.
The NDIS is not simply about funding services. At its best, it is about giving people the opportunity to participate in their communities, pursue education and employment, develop independence and build meaningful lives.
And I want to take that opportunity further.
My goal is to continue growing Ambilite to the point where I can create genuine employment opportunities for other neurodivergent people.
I want to build a workplace where being autistic, having ADHD, or being otherwise neurodivergent isn't treated as something that makes someone less capable.
A workplace where accommodations aren't an inconvenience.
Where different ways of thinking are valued.
Where someone saying "I need support" doesn't automatically become "I can't do this."
Because I know what can happen when someone gets the right support.
I am living proof of it.
I believe the NDIS can and should be improved. There should be accountability. There should be safeguards against misuse. Funding should be sustainable and services should deliver genuine outcomes.
But reform should never lose sight of the people the system exists to support.
People with disability are not numbers on a spreadsheet.
We are students.
We are workers.
We are business owners.
We are artists.
We are parents.
We are partners.
We are creators.
We are employers.
We are members of our communities.
And sometimes, we are able to become those things because somebody gave us the support we needed to get there.
So I am going to keep advocating.
I'm going to keep talking about disability inclusion.
I'm going to keep building Ambilite.
And I'm going to keep working towards a future where this little candle business can employ other neurodivergent people and give someone else the opportunity that my support worker once gave me:
A chance to discover what they're capable of.
Because support should not make people's lives smaller. It should make them possible. 🖤🕯️
