Launceston-born man Dale Reardon has spent much of his life advocating for people living with disability.
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Mr Reardon, who now lives in the state’s South at Kingston Beach, has added a progressive new online venture to his resume recently.
He launched My Disability Matters, a news site with free content curated for people with disability, with his wife in late April, 2016.
The site features articles of news and analysis on topics ranging from the National Disability Insurance Scheme to the complexities of navigating relationships while living with disability.
Mr Reardon and his wife in December launched the My Disability Matters Club, an online forum that can connect people who are living with disability, caring for someone or related to someone who has one, and people working in the disability sector.
The club has features associated with many other social media sites, including profiles, a 'like' function, and groups and forums, but is laid out in a way which is simple and accessible.
It has received plenty of positive feedback from members who had been waiting for such a service to come along.
Mr Reardon lost his sight at the age of 17 due to a genetic condition.
He uses a software program which reads out words to navigate social media.
He said correct coding made the translation simple, but certain layouts could make accessing content difficult for someone living with disability.
The club currently has 530 members, and participants sign a respect and tolerance pledge.
Members are from around Tasmania, the mainland and abroad.
Mr Reardon noticed a shift in the way people treated him after he lost his sight.
"People who'd already known me continued to treat me the same, but I did notice when I went to university that people who hadn't known me before did treat me differently," Mr Reardon said.
"Once you're disabled, they think you're not as capable."
Mr Reardon began to advocate for people with disability after he commenced studying at university in 1988.
He said the talents and capabilities of people living with disability were often not recognised.
Mr Reardon said he believed for society to address misconceptions around disability, employers need to embrace hiring people who live with disability.
He said the public service should set an example by increasing its amount of employees with a disability.
If you would like to join the My Disability Matters Club, you can visit the website at: https://mydisabilitymatters.club/
