"Organisations benefit from leaders with lived experience who bring different perspectives, problem-solving approaches, and a very real understanding of what inclusion looks like."
Image: Cameron Carr in front of a white background, wearing a suit and smiling at the camera.
This year, we welcomed Cameron Carr to Life Without Barriers through the Disability Leadership Institute Internship Program. Cameron hails from Queensland and describes himself as a husband, dad and Paralympian.
When reflecting on his path into leadership and inclusion, he describes it as 'pretty unconventional'.
"When I was 19, I had a serious accident that changed the direction of my life overnight. Everything I thought my future would look like had to be rebuilt from the ground up," said Cameron.
"That experience shaped me deeply. It taught me resilience, patience, perspective and it forced me to rethink what 'possibility' meant. It showed me how powerful community and support can be."
"My experience also highlighted how important real inclusion is when you’re suddenly navigating the world in a completely different way."
As he adjusted to his new reality, Cameron found identity and community through wheelchair rugby.
"Wheelchair rugby became a major part of my identity. I was lucky enough to represent Australia for over a decade and eventually captain the national team," said Cameron.
Through Wheelchair rugby, Cameron earned a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, gold medals at both the 2012 London Paralympics and the 2016 Rio Paralympics, and an Order of Australia Medal in 2014 for his service to sport.
"Sport taught me a lot: how to perform under pressure, how to lead, how to work with people who are wildly different but moving towards the same goal, and how trust and culture make or break a team."
Image: Cameron Carr representing Australia in wheelchair rugby at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
Now, Cameron runs Perception Performance, an advisory firm focused on building the systems, leadership, and environments needed for sustainable, inclusive performance.
"Through Perception Performance, I help organisations build better leadership, stronger cultures, and more inclusive environments. Bringing focus to things like psychosocial safety, sustainable performance, and real-world inclusion," said Cameron.
Cameron says his work at Perception Performance is built on lived experience.
"Living with a disability for almost 30 years now gives me a pretty grounded lens on what inclusion looks like when it’s working and what happens when it isn’t."
Recently, Cameron had the space to pause and think about what he wanted the next chapter to look like, which is when he came across the Disability Leadership Institute Executive Internship Program.
"It felt like the perfect bridge to explore different opportunities, a chance to learn from a purpose-driven organisation, bring my lived experience and leadership background into a new sector, and understand the not-for-profit space from the inside," said Cameron.
"I also wanted to keep growing as a leader. The internship felt like the right place to stretch myself, learn new systems, and bring my experience into a space where it could make a real difference."
Cameron commenced his internship with Life Without Barriers at the start of November, working closely with Leanne Johnson, Deputy Chief Executive, Disability and Mental Health. He shared that he has two big goals he hopes to achieve through the internship.
"I want to learn as much as I can, especially around governance, community impact, service delivery, and leadership in a purpose-driven organisation," said Cameron.
"I’m really looking forward to learning from people who’ve been doing this work for a long time. The care sector has depth and complexity that’s completely different to corporate environments."
"And I want to contribute where I can, whether that’s leadership insights from my Paralympic or corporate background and lived experience perspectives, or supporting teams thinking through tough challenges."
"If at the end of the internship, I can say that I learned a lot, contributed meaningfully, and left something useful behind, then that’s a win."
As part of the internship program, Cameron has attended Life Without Barriers board meetings and executive discussions and a number of conferences and sector events.
"Sitting in on board meetings and executive discussions has given me a really clear look at how decisions are made at that level. The conferences and sector events I've attended have helped me build a better understanding of the broader care landscape, the challenges, the pressures, and the opportunities that exist," reflected Cameron.
Image: Cameron Carr and the Life Without Barriers Board standing as a group and smiling at the camera.
Cameron shared that one strength he hopes to bring into his work with Life Without Barriers is his lived experience.
"I’ve lived with a disability for more than two decades now, so I’ve seen first hand what good inclusion looks like and what happens when the system misses the mark," said Cameron.
"From my sporting days, I bring that team-first, high-performance focus. You learn how to communicate under pressure, how to back each other, and how culture really makes or breaks performance."
"And then there’s my work through Perception Performance, where I spend a lot of time helping leaders and organisations build healthier cultures, think about psychosocial safety, and actually walk the talk on inclusion."
"My biggest strength is translating lived experience into practical change, not theory, but things that actually work on the ground."
Cameron says that lived experience is vital to achieve genuine inclusion, especially in leadership.
"People with lived experience see things that others simply don’t. We spot friction points, risks, and opportunities that aren’t visible to people who haven’t lived it. They challenge assumptions and bring perspectives that create better services, better workplaces, and more equitable systems," said Cameron.
"Organisations benefit from leaders with lived experience who bring different perspectives, different problem-solving approaches, and a very real understanding of what inclusion looks like."
"And by taking part in programs like the Disability Leadership Institute Internship Program, emerging leaders benefit from seeing how decisions are made, how services run, and what leadership looks like at scale."
For Cameron, meaningful inclusion of people with disabilities in leadership is more than having a seat at the table.
"It’s having the ability to influence what happens at the table. It means being resourced, supported, listened to, and valued for your expertise," said Cameron.
"It's when leaders design systems with, not for, people with lived experience. When decision-making draws on a diverse range of perspectives."
"It about building real capability not token representation. It also signals that inclusion isn’t just a value, it’s a practice."
Cameron also shared that representation of lived experience in leadership roles can have the power to show other people with disability what is possible.
"Representation matters, when people see leaders with disability, it changes what they believe is possible. And organisations become better at designing systems that work for everyone, not just the majority."
"Not every organisation genuinely invests in lived-experience leadership, and Life Without Barriers is walking the talk. I’m excited to learn, contribute, and hopefully leave the organisation better than I found it."
