Colin Hiscoe

Radical Australia

We are delighted to bring you a very special episode of Radical Australia this week, sharing it with you today on International Day of People with a Disability #IDOPWD, Sunday December 3. This week's guest is intellectual disability self-advocate, Colin Hiscoe. Colin has been an active member of self-advocacy group Reinforce for decades and his story is sure to both move and inspire you. Colin spent his childhood in Leeds, England, until he was 12 years old. He remembers all the kids with their sleds on the hill during Winter and going to the picture theatre. He came to Australia with his mother and started life here in Wangaratta with his Aunty. Colin endured a lot of mistreatment in his early life, from family members and other authority figures, before he stumbled upon a conference that changed his life forever. For the first time he heard peers' stories and through the sharing of these stories he began to heal. He hasn't looked back. Reinforce is a group of peers who talk about issues that their community faces, from wages to the conditions in sheltered workshops. Colin describes it as 'a big voice of people'. Reinforce also designs training to inform peers' of their rights and where to get help. Colin is a strong survivor and we were blessed to hear his story this week. Colin's story shows the power of community.Thank-you for being our guest this week, Colin, and long live Reinforce!Have a look at these wonderful links:https://reinforce.org.au/https://purpleorange.org.au/news-resources/advocate-and-activist-colin-hiscoe-reinforce