The words “Safer Me Safer You” written in dark purple, with “Safer Me” written on the line below. Three sets of concentric circles in a hand drawn style are at the top right corner next to the word “Me”. The circles vary in colour and are light purple, dark purple, light blue, dark blue, and white.

    About Us

    The Safer Me Safer You national project works alongside people with disability to learn what social and sexual safety means to them. Through our learnings, our project is changing the cultures of workplaces across Australia to ensure all people with disability experience social and sexual safety, everywhere and always.
    A diverse group of people poses together on a stage at a conference, smiling and making celebratory gestures. Some individuals are standing, while others are seated in wheelchairs. The background features two banners with colorful designs, one on each side of the group.

    Our Story

    The 2022 Safer Girls Safer Women Symposium launched the project. The event was a conversation led by women, girls and non-binary people with disability about what safety means to them. The project builds on Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT’s (SHFPACT) existing social and sexual safety program, SoSAFE!. This project was originally called the Safer Girls Safer Women project. It is now called the Safer Me Safer You project. We changed the project name to make it more inclusive of all the people we work with and the people the project impacts.

    A group of people poses together, some standing and some seated in wheelchairs, in front of a gray curtain.

    Our Work

    The Project currently has three interconnected elements. These are: To amplify the voices of women, girls and gender diverse people with disability to co-design all of our initiatives; To develop best practice guidelines for organisations and workers to build approaches that increase social and sexual safety of women, girls and gender diverse people with disability; To extend the reach of the existing SoSAFE! Framework1 training and to adapt the implementation of SoSAFE! programs for diverse communities and the workforce sectors that support them.

    A conference setting with attendees seated at tables, facing a stage with speakers and presenters. Two large screens display presentation slides titled Advisory Committees. Attendees are engaged, with some taking notes and others listening attentively.

    Our Team

    Dr Sheridan Kerr

    Project Lead Senior Director at SHFPACT
    Sheridan stands smiling in front of greenery. Her multicolour dress pops against the background.

    Sheridan is the Senior Director at SHFPACT and the Safer Me Safer You Project Lead. In her current and previous roles, she has advocated for the right for children, young people and adults with disability to access meaningful and engaging relationships and sexuality education. Sheridan has worked across disability and all education sectors supporting staff to create classrooms and environments that are safe for all.

    Mel Harrison

    Project Officer Engagement
    Mel sits smiling in her wheelchair in front of some nature in the background. She has paired her trademark blue nail polish with an aqua skirt (and necklace).

    Mel has extensive experience in motivational speaking, consultancy and education, for over a decade. Diversity and inclusion are a huge passion for Mel as she strives to break down barriers, remove stereotypes about people with disability and show that there is ability within everyone.

    Sue Gore Philips

    Project Manager SoSAFE!
    Sue stands smiling in front of greenery. Her pale blue shirt matches her Mickey Mouse hair wrap.

    Sue has been working in community services for over 15 years across a number of organisations, predominantly as a Team Leader or Program Manager. Sue has overseen the delivery of Children’s services, Individual & Family support services, a Mental Health Recovery program, and as a Community Engagement Officer. She brings every part of this experience to her Program Lead role for the SoSAFE program.

    Cate Barclay

    Project Officer Easy-Read Communication
    Cate sits smiling in a wheelchair in front of greenery. Her sage green dress has polka dots on it, and she wears an awesome knit sweater because the sun wasn't out for the photoshoot.

    Cate is a disabled woman with ample lived and professional experience within the disabled community. Her background includes working in not for profit organisations, government, and education settings. She brings her passion for inclusion, Easy Read writing skills, and accessibility knowledge to the team.

    Maggie Yundi Li

    Website Project Officer
    Maggie stands smiling in front of greenery in a forest green sweater and light brown pants.

    Maggie works on the user interface and experience design and full-stack web development for the project's website and online resource library.

    We are grateful for the invaluable contributions of former team members Millie Hayes, Danielle Dal Cortivo, Camille Schloeffel, and James McDougall to our project.

    Project Advisory Group

    Safer Me Safer You formerly known as Safer Girls Safer Women, currently have 14 group members, with 3 members who have previously left. The PAG has been running since January 2023 where we meet monthly online for 1.5 hours as a group, and some months we meet twice.

    SMSY have project advisory group members from every state and territory apart from Victoria and Tasmania currently. We have women and gender diverse people with various disabilities, ages and life experiences.

    All PAG members bring important value to the group with knowledge and experience from their life, disability and work experience. They have been and continue to be a critical element in the project by advising on the co design process making sure that people who work with and communicate with people with disability actually listen to them about what is needed and ensure that there is social and sexual safety everywhere and always.

    Lynn Wu

    She/Her
    A woman with long black hair and wearing a sleeveless green top smiles at the camera while standing in a park with green grass and trees in the background.

    I am a social worker and human rights advocate with lived experiences. My mission in life is to combat the injustices our world presents, make a positive difference in the lives of others, and work towards a more equitable and socially just society. Apart from work, I enjoy photography, painting, history, exploring cities, and attending concerts.I am a social worker and human rights advocate with lived experiences. My mission in life is to combat the injustices our world presents, make a positive difference in the lives of others, and work towards a more equitable and socially just society. Apart from work, I enjoy photography, painting, history, exploring cities, and attending concerts.

    Emily Gardner

    She/Her
    A woman smiles while writing with a pen at a table, her head resting on her hand. She is wearing a dark shirt and sitting in a brightly lit room with colorful artwork in the background.

    I am part of this advisory group because I want to feel safe when I go out. I want people to think about how to make sure women are safe and that we get listened to if we don’t feel safe. I live in Dubbo NSW and I have a labrador dog called Rosie, I love to travel and Ive been to overseas to China, Singapore and Europe so far. I have a microbusiness called Go Get ‘Em where I do small administrative tasks for local small businesses. I also sell & deliver eggs from our local egg farmer to the public.

    www.abilitywest.org.au

    Cassie Gardner

    She/Her
    A woman with blonde hair and glasses smiles while sitting at a table in an outdoor café. She is wearing a dark jacket, and there are people and a colorful storefront in the background.

    I am proud to support to Emily Gardner, who is a member of the Safe Me, Safer You advisory Group, so that all women of all abilities can have a voice in this incredibly important discussion. I live in Dubbo and am Emily’s mother. I am proud of the busy life she has and love supporting her to be part of this advisory group so she and other women can safely to do whatever they want to do wherever they are in our communities.

    www.abilitywest.org.au

    Liz Yates

    She/Her
    A woman with short dark hair and red glasses smiles while wearing a red top and pearl earrings. She is in an indoor setting with part of another person visible behind her.

    I joined the Advisory group to make a difference to the lives of girls and women who have a disability. As a result of a car accident in 1994 I became a quadriplegic - this made me who made I am today.

    Kate Fiedler

    A woman with brown hair smiles while holding a gray poodle. They are outside in a patio area with potted plants and windows in the background.

    I enjoy the PAG because it is a group effort to achieve the same goal of disability safety. I enjoy learning from other members. I enjoy volunteering for the Good Friday Appeal and Olivia Newton John Wellness Walk and going to live concerts. Over the last 3 years I have gotten into disability advocacy and public speaking

    https://www.youtube.com/@kefwheel/videos

    Yenn Purkis

    They/Them
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    I am an out loud and proud Queer and Autistic person who has been working in the LGBTQ+ and disability advocacy spaces for almost 20 years. I have 17 published books and have given two TEDx talks – among other things! I take part in the advisory group because I feel that issues around sexual safety are extremely important for Disabled women as predatory people often attack us.

    www.yennpurkis.com

    Rachel Wotton

    She/Her
    A woman with straight, light brown hair and side-swept bangs smiles while standing in front of a brick wall. She is wearing a black top with a crisscross design at the neckline.



    www.rachelwotton.com

    Rachael Leahcar

    She/Her
    A woman with long, curly blonde hair smiles at the camera. She is wearing a black top and is posed against a plain white background.

    I'm a singer/songwriter from South Australia and appeared on the first season of The Voice, placing third. I sing in several different languages and have released many albums over the years. My journey as a musician is never far from my work as a disability advocate as I'm passionate about both causes. I've also got a Bachelor degree in Disability and Developmental Education. I am a disabled woman who is passionate about advocating for change where change is needed. It is inspiring to be amongst a group of like-minded people creating a world that shines a light on safety, consent and sexual needs, instead of leaving it in the shadows.

    http://www.rachaelleahcar.com.au/

    Ruth Faragher

    A woman with short dark hair and glasses takes a selfie indoors. She is wearing a colorful top, and sunlight is streaming through the windows behind her, creating a lens flare effect.

    Hi my name is Ruth Faragher. I’m 28 years old. I have been public speaking all the over the world. Last week I did world Down syndrome Congress committee. I’m proud myself.

    Freya Wolf

    She/Her
    A woman with blonde hair pulled back smiles at the camera. She is wearing a sleeveless top with a geometric pattern and hoop earrings. The background is plain and light-colored.

    Freya is a pleasure activist, writer, speaker, and sensual embodied dance facilitator. She’s ridden the waves of many movements, from disability rights to safety and embodied liberation, while mothering alongside a complicated dance with blindness. She’s passionate about our connection with body, pleasure, earth, and community. Her fierce love of cats has sustained her through most of life’s twists and turns. She lives, works and dances on Gadagal and Bidjigal country in Sydney.

    https://freyawolf.com/

    Jocelyn Powell

    She/Her
    A woman with short curly brown hair, wearing a teal top, smiles at the camera. She wears small hoop earrings.

    I wanted to join this group because of my interest in disabilities and my desire to connect with others who share similar passions. Social/sexual safety to me means having access to resources and support systems that ensure everyone in society can live free from harm, discrimination, and deprivation, enabling individuals to thrive and contribute positively to their communities.

    Sujay Kentlyn

    They/Them
    Sujay smiles in front of a grey wall, wearing a black top and an earring in the right ear.

    I am a person with lived experience of gender dysphoria and mental health problems. I am also a sociologist – someone who studies how societies work. I want to help Australian society pay more attention to all kinds of differences – in a good way! I want Australian society to be more inclusive and respectful. I want our society to actually celebrate all kinds of different people, and what each person has to offer. I have conducted training all over New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory. The training is to help businesses and services learn not to discriminate. They should see the value in all kinds of diversity, and learn how to be inclusive of everyone.

    [email protected]

    Erin Papps

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