Items · Disability Arts History Australia

Presenter Pack for Indelability Arts show by Karen Lee Roberts, Chameleon - reads, in part, "Chameleon brilliantly portrays a new point of view of the norms of mental illness through heartfelt stories of a woman’s journey to mental wellness. With original music from the world of the blues, jazz, folk and rock, Chameleon packs a healthy dose of funny for the mind, body and soul."

“Genni Batterham stages a protest at the opening of Bondi Junction railway station 1979, makes film in 1980”

When Bondi Junction railway station opened in 1979, Genni Batterham staged a protest about the lack of accessible transportation options for individuals with disabilities. After receiving a multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 1978, Genni became severely disabled very quickly. She did everything in her power to stop the disease's progression and was furious at being "consigned to the world of the disabled." The 1979 Bondi Junction protest was an important moment in the history of the Disability Rights Movement in New South Wales. The Premier, Neville Wran, later said that the experience led him to developing the Disability Taxi Service, the first public transport system designed for people with disability to be launched in Australia. Batterham then made the film ‘Pins and Needles’ (1980) with her husband Kim. Under the direction of Barbara Chobocky and with funding from the Australian Film Commission's Women's Film Fund, the film was screened in five different countries, took home first place at the 1980 Canadian Film Festival, and took home second place at the 1980 New York Film Festival. Genni and Kim would then collaborate on three further films about the phases of her life: Where's the Give and Take? (1981), Artreach (1982), and Riding the Gale (1987).