Wade Costley is Chair of the Lived Experience Advisory Panel and serves on the Board of Directors at Cerebral Palsy Australia. He is also the Website Information Officer for My CP Guide and was a member of the working group that established the new vision and purpose for Cerebral Palsy Australia. In addition, Wade serves as a lived experience member of the Australian & New Zealand Cerebral Palsy Strategy Collaboration Group.
Prior to this, Wade enjoyed a 30-year international career as a systems architect implementing large solutions for telecommunications clients worldwide. Working in 13 countries across 4 different continents provided Wade a unique perspective as a person with cerebral palsy experiencing first-hand how various cultures and societies view and treat people with a disability.
Wade has a keen interest in the research of ageing well with cerebral palsy and works with leading researchers and advocates around the globe to not only raise awareness of the issues that people with cerebral palsy can encounter as they age, but also to create comprehensive strategies that people can use to help manage the effects of ageing with cerebral palsy. Wade is also passionate about increasing the opportunities for gainful employment for people with a disability. In addition, he is eager to improve the overall knowledge and understanding about cerebral palsy, particularly in culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.
Wade still enjoys travelling around the world (now for pleasure) and often discusses with tourism businesses how to make their services and offerings more accessible, as he strongly believes that the more people with a disability can see the world, the more inclusive the world will become. Most recently, Wade has worked with companies in Vietnam and Türkiye to make their tours more accessible and inclusive for people with a disability.
