Why is peer support important?

By sharing lived experience, peer support mentors can provide practical guidance and understanding of your experiences with spinal cord injury. A peer support mentor can help you to solve challenges and create strategies that can help you to continue living a fulfilling life after a spinal cord injury.

How do I meet other people who have experienced spinal cord injury?

Ask us about joining a ‘Push Thru’ event, where you can meet other people living with spinal cord injury in your region. These events are inclusive, an opportunity to encourage others, share your experiences in a welcoming environment and be inspired. We also facilitate an inclusive community through our recreation programs and peer support groups.

How can peer support help me?

Peer support can empower you to feel seen and connected. You can learn new skills and strategies, discover new perspectives and provide encouragement to others. Our Peer Support Program gives you someone to talk to who has experienced spinal cord injury.

Self-advocacy after spinal cord injury

Speaking up for your needs

Learning to advocate for yourself is an important part of living independently after spinal cord injury.

Self-advocacy means understanding your needs, speaking up, and asking for the support, services, or adjustments that help you live the life you want.

While this can feel challenging at first, building self-advocacy skills can help increase confidence, independence, and control over your decisions.

You don’t have to do it alone either. Some people choose to advocate independently, while others prefer support from family, friends, peer mentors, or formal advocacy services.

What does self-advocacy look like?

Self-advocacy can involve:

Explaining your support needs
Asking questions
Speaking up when something doesn’t feel right
Requesting adjustments or accessibility changes
Making informed choices about your care and services
Understanding and exercising your rights

It can also involve seeking support in more difficult situations, such as:

Discrimination
Abuse or neglect
Not being listened to
Financial exploitation
Service complaints

Tips for advocating for yourself

Building self-advocacy skills takes time and practice. Some helpful things to remember include:

Recognise that your needs matter: having support needs is normal, and it’s okay to ask for help or adjustments when needed.
Understand what your needs are: take time to think about
- What support helps you most
- What barriers you’re facing
- What outcomes you want
The clearer you are about your needs, the easier it can be to communicate them to others.
Believe in your ability to make change: self-advocacy is about recognising that your voice matters and that you have the right to make decisions about your own life.
Know your rights: understanding your rights can help you feel more confident when advocating for yourself.
Useful information about disability rights is available through:
Speak up: people may not know what support you need unless you tell them. Communicating clearly and directly can help others better understand how to support you.
Be kind to yourself: adjusting after spinal cord injury can bring challenges and setbacks. Give yourself permission to feel frustrated, overwhelmed, or emotional at times while continuing to build confidence and resilience.

Advocacy support services

Sometimes additional support can help when navigating more complex situations.

Advocacy organisations may assist with:

Disability rights information
Complaints and disputes
Accessing services
NDIS-related concerns
Communication and support planning

Some examples of these organisations are included below in ‘helpful resources’.

Peer mentors can also provide practical advice and lived experience insights around navigating services, relationships and everyday challenges after SCI.

At estara, we work alongside people living with spinal cord injury and disability to support independence, confidence, and informed decision-making.

Helpful Resources

Here are some additional resources on disability advocacy organisations: