The Ben Kende Spinal Research Foundation

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The Ben Kende Spinal Research Foundation

Join us in our mission to change perceptions of disability and drive research toward a future cure for paralysis.

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The Ben Kende Spinal Research Foundation’s new website has just launched!

Head over to www.bksrf.org to explore our mission and discover how you can get involved

The Ben Kende Spinal Research Foundation’s new website has just launched!

Head over to www.bksrf.org to explore our mission and discover how you can get involved

🌟 Exciting News! 🌟

We are proud to continue our partnership with NeuRA, supporting vital research on spinal cord injuries being done by Dr Peter Sturgess, alongside Professor Simon Gandevia, Professor Jane Butler, Dr Martin Heroux and Dr Terry Trinh. At the Ben Kende Foundation, we believe in the power of innovative research to transform lives.

Click the link in our bio to learn more about our collaboration and the incredible work being done to advance spinal cord injury research.

Thank you for your support! Together, we are making a difference. 🙌

#BenKendeFoundation #NeuRA #SpinalCordResearch #spinalcordinjury #research

🌟 Exciting News! 🌟

We are proud to continue our partnership with NeuRA, supporting vital research on spinal cord injuries being done by Dr Peter Sturgess, alongside Professor Simon Gandevia, Professor Jane Butler, Dr Martin Heroux and Dr Terry Trinh. At the Ben Kende Foundation, we believe in the power of innovative research to transform lives.

Click the link in our bio to learn more about our collaboration and the incredible work being done to advance spinal cord injury research.

Thank you for your support! Together, we are making a difference. 🙌

#BenKendeFoundation #NeuRA #SpinalCordResearch #spinalcordinjury #research

Very grateful for the @thehighflyerspodcast for giving me a platform to share some of my thoughts and feelings of late. Really enjoying what is being done on the high flyers podcast. Chuck them a follow, give it a listen and hope you can get something out of it!

Very grateful for the @thehighflyerspodcast for giving me a platform to share some of my thoughts and feelings of late. Really enjoying what is being done on the high flyers podcast. Chuck them a follow, give it a listen and hope you can get something out of it!

Today marks the 10 year anniversary of Ben’s accident.

This time 10 years ago, it was hard to imagine what life would look like now. Ben was faced with an obstacle so large, it felt almost impossible to imagine normality again. After years of work, determination and support, Ben now has two university degrees under his belt, is working his dream job as a lawyer, is a happy uncle and a caring daddy to a little Doggy.

Life has many twists and turns, but we can honestly say that it has turned out better than we ever could have expected and we are so grateful and thankful to those around us that have helped him come so far.

Thank you everyone for your support and care, it has made the world of a difference. We couldn’t be more proud of the man that Ben is, we love you. 💗

Today marks the 10 year anniversary of Ben’s accident.

This time 10 years ago, it was hard to imagine what life would look like now. Ben was faced with an obstacle so large, it felt almost impossible to imagine normality again. After years of work, determination and support, Ben now has two university degrees under his belt, is working his dream job as a lawyer, is a happy uncle and a caring daddy to a little Doggy.

Life has many twists and turns, but we can honestly say that it has turned out better than we ever could have expected and we are so grateful and thankful to those around us that have helped him come so far.

Thank you everyone for your support and care, it has made the world of a difference. We couldn’t be more proud of the man that Ben is, we love you. 💗

So humbled, fortunate and inspired to have the great @robnaylorhk in my corner. The man keeps testing his limits and doing it all for the Ben Kende Foundation and Beyond Blue. Click the link in our bio to hear all about his motivation for the run!

So humbled, fortunate and inspired to have the great @robnaylorhk in my corner. The man keeps testing his limits and doing it all for the Ben Kende Foundation and Beyond Blue. Click the link in our bio to hear all about his motivation for the run!

CRUSH Barriers⁠⠀
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#bkf #crushingbarriers #normalizedisability

CRUSH Barriers⁠⠀
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#bkf #crushingbarriers #normalizedisability

With not a lot of options during iso, make sure you get out in nature and go for a hike this weekend! There are heaps of wheelchair accessible hikes around, you just have to know where to look 😊⁠⠀
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#bkf #changingperceptions #wheelchairfun

With not a lot of options during iso, make sure you get out in nature and go for a hike this weekend! There are heaps of wheelchair accessible hikes around, you just have to know where to look 😊⁠⠀
⁠⠀
#bkf #changingperceptions #wheelchairfun

Cheeky
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#bkf #normalisingdisability

Cheeky
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#bkf #normalisingdisability

Unreal!! Make the chair work for YOU ⁠
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#anaccessibleworld #BKF #changingperceptions

Unreal!! Make the chair work for YOU ⁠
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#anaccessibleworld #BKF #changingperceptions

Keep pushing on #bkf #wheelchairsociety

Keep pushing on #bkf #wheelchairsociety

Unreal!! Make the chair work for YOU ⁠⠀
⁠⠀
#anaccessibleworld #BKF #changingperceptions

Unreal!! Make the chair work for YOU ⁠⠀
⁠⠀
#anaccessibleworld #BKF #changingperceptions

Amazing to see this hitting stores! SO important to see representation of all shapes, sizes and abilities
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#BKF #diversity #anaccessibleworld #representation

Amazing to see this hitting stores! SO important to see representation of all shapes, sizes and abilities
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#BKF #diversity #anaccessibleworld #representation

Time to get out and do something good for your body and your mind this weekend. Accessible tracks are all around us, but more needs to be done to ensure people of all abilities can enjoy this beautiful planet of ours!
⁠⠀
#accessibleworld #bkf #changingperceptions #hikesareforeveryone

Time to get out and do something good for your body and your mind this weekend. Accessible tracks are all around us, but more needs to be done to ensure people of all abilities can enjoy this beautiful planet of ours!
⁠⠀
#accessibleworld #bkf #changingperceptions #hikesareforeveryone

What a great step forward. This may not seem like a big deal, but for young black girls in a wheelchair out there, they can finally play with a toy that looks like them and understand that they are just like everyone else.
#wheelchairrepresentation #creatinganaccessibleworld #barbie #changingperceptions #crushingbias

What a great step forward. This may not seem like a big deal, but for young black girls in a wheelchair out there, they can finally play with a toy that looks like them and understand that they are just like everyone else.
#wheelchairrepresentation #creatinganaccessibleworld #barbie #changingperceptions #crushingbias

First Friday of the New Year... let’s send it

Awesome to see the amazing extreme sports that Lonnie Bissonnette can do from his chair
#lifewithoutlimits #paraplegicBASEjumper #anaccessibleworld

First Friday of the New Year... let’s send it

Awesome to see the amazing extreme sports that Lonnie Bissonnette can do from his chair
#lifewithoutlimits #paraplegicBASEjumper #anaccessibleworld

Travelling somewhere fun this Christmas? ⠀
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This is an idea which I think a lot of airlines should adopt without the need for a court ruling. Travelling with a carer makes travel prohibitively expensive for some. In many situations, airlines are quite generous in blocking or upgrading seats for customers who generally don’t need it, so why not offer the same to carers? I can guarantee that if disabled travellers knew that their carers flew for free, they would use that airline every time they could.⠀
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#creatinganaccessibleworld #bkf #seekingacureforaralysis⠀

Travelling somewhere fun this Christmas? ⠀
⠀
This is an idea which I think a lot of airlines should adopt without the need for a court ruling. Travelling with a carer makes travel prohibitively expensive for some. In many situations, airlines are quite generous in blocking or upgrading seats for customers who generally don’t need it, so why not offer the same to carers? I can guarantee that if disabled travellers knew that their carers flew for free, they would use that airline every time they could.⠀
⠀
#creatinganaccessibleworld #bkf #seekingacureforaralysis⠀

What you can see: our family being equal parts lame and equal parts awesome in our Hawaiian Christmas shirts 🤩⁠⠀
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What you can’t see: the lengths we had to go to to carry me up two flights of stairs to be able to spend Christmas with my family. ⁠⠀
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Living in an inaccessible world can be challenging. I am so grateful to have the support of so many incredible people around me to help me live my life without boundaries. This is the way that everyone deserves to live, we want to break down the barriers that people with disabilities face and remove the stigma against asking for help. Everyone has their own unique challenges, but slowly we can turn this world into a more accessible and accepting place.⁠⠀ #accessibleworld #bkf #spinalcordinjury #changeperceptions

What you can see: our family being equal parts lame and equal parts awesome in our Hawaiian Christmas shirts 🤩⁠⠀
⁠⠀
What you can’t see: the lengths we had to go to to carry me up two flights of stairs to be able to spend Christmas with my family. ⁠⠀
⁠⠀
Living in an inaccessible world can be challenging. I am so grateful to have the support of so many incredible people around me to help me live my life without boundaries. This is the way that everyone deserves to live, we want to break down the barriers that people with disabilities face and remove the stigma against asking for help. Everyone has their own unique challenges, but slowly we can turn this world into a more accessible and accepting place.⁠⠀ #accessibleworld #bkf #spinalcordinjury #changeperceptions

Spending a day in a wheelchair is a really great exercise in appreciating the perspective of people in wheelchairs. I think everyone out there should have a crack at cruising around in a chair for a day. I can guarantee you’d notice things you never thought you’d notice.⁠
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#changeperceptions #crushbiases #creatinganaccessibleworld ⁠

Spending a day in a wheelchair is a really great exercise in appreciating the perspective of people in wheelchairs. I think everyone out there should have a crack at cruising around in a chair for a day. I can guarantee you’d notice things you never thought you’d notice.⁠
⁠
#changeperceptions #crushbiases #creatinganaccessibleworld ⁠

Accompanied by his service dog, Gumnut, Ben became an official Lawyer yesterday! #bkf #aworldwithoutbarriers #assistancedogsaustralia

Accompanied by his service dog, Gumnut, Ben became an official Lawyer yesterday! #bkf #aworldwithoutbarriers #assistancedogsaustralia

It’s all about making the chair work for you and leading by example #persistence #wheelchairlife #changingperceptions

It’s all about making the chair work for you and leading by example #persistence #wheelchairlife #changingperceptions

Love the people making the world a more accessible place!⁠⠀
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#travellingwithoutlimits #machupicchu #wheelietravel

Love the people making the world a more accessible place!⁠⠀
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#travellingwithoutlimits #machupicchu #wheelietravel

It’s all about perspective! ⁠⠀
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#bkf

It’s all about perspective! ⁠⠀
⁠⠀
#bkf

When in doubt, it’s always best to just boogie 💃💃

When in doubt, it’s always best to just boogie 💃💃

It is often one of the greatest misconceptions that disabled people are somehow asexual. It's also a shame that sex has to be a taboo subject, as these misconceptions go unchecked. For most disabled people, things still work. If they don't in the 'normal' way, there are other aspects of sexuality that disabled people can benefit from, or give to others. One way or another, wheelie lovers are the most generous lovers.⁠
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#wheeliesex #changeperceptions #crushbiases

It is often one of the greatest misconceptions that disabled people are somehow asexual. It's also a shame that sex has to be a taboo subject, as these misconceptions go unchecked. For most disabled people, things still work. If they don't in the 'normal' way, there are other aspects of sexuality that disabled people can benefit from, or give to others. One way or another, wheelie lovers are the most generous lovers.⁠
⁠
#wheeliesex #changeperceptions #crushbiases

The future is now my friends. Technology isn’t just fostering amazing benefits for lazy people; it’s also making life a hell of a lot easier for the disabled community.⁠
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#creatinganaccessibleworld ⁠

The future is now my friends. Technology isn’t just fostering amazing benefits for lazy people; it’s also making life a hell of a lot easier for the disabled community.⁠
⁠
#creatinganaccessibleworld ⁠

People aren’t disabled, their city is
More cities need to think like this. Whilst I’m no engineer, my impression is that universal design is really quite easy to accomplish.

#creatinganaccessibleworld #bkf

People aren’t disabled, their city is
More cities need to think like this. Whilst I’m no engineer, my impression is that universal design is really quite easy to accomplish.

#creatinganaccessibleworld #bkf

It’s about time!! 🎉 👩‍🦽👨‍🦼👩‍🦯🧏 #represent #changingperceptions #representation #makingdisabilitycommonplace

It’s about time!! 🎉 👩‍🦽👨‍🦼👩‍🦯🧏 #represent #changingperceptions #representation #makingdisabilitycommonplace

YES! Look at the time we are living in. We have the medical advancements and technological resources to be able to live without legs, some of our senses, and even certain organs. ⁠
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We have physically evolved past this point, so why aren’t we quite there yet with our outlooks? Help break down the stigma against disability. Things are changing. Be a part of that change.⁠
⁠
#creatinganaccessibleworld #seekingacureforparalysis #changingperceptions #crushingbiases⁠

YES! Look at the time we are living in. We have the medical advancements and technological resources to be able to live without legs, some of our senses, and even certain organs. ⁠
⁠
We have physically evolved past this point, so why aren’t we quite there yet with our outlooks? Help break down the stigma against disability. Things are changing. Be a part of that change.⁠
⁠
#creatinganaccessibleworld #seekingacureforparalysis #changingperceptions #crushingbiases⁠

Damn straight 🙌🏻 ⁠
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Facing life with a disability, whether you were born with one or acquired one later in life, is challenging. It takes resilience, flexibility, and persistence to be able to find your feet (pun intended) in a world not built for those that deviate from the “norm”. Shoutout to everyone with a disability overcoming these challenges everyday and smashing goals 🎉🙌🏻 ⁠
⁠
#changingperceptions #anaccessibleworld #crushbias #overcomingchallenges ⁠

Damn straight 🙌🏻 ⁠
⁠
Facing life with a disability, whether you were born with one or acquired one later in life, is challenging. It takes resilience, flexibility, and persistence to be able to find your feet (pun intended) in a world not built for those that deviate from the “norm”. Shoutout to everyone with a disability overcoming these challenges everyday and smashing goals 🎉🙌🏻 ⁠
⁠
#changingperceptions #anaccessibleworld #crushbias #overcomingchallenges ⁠

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@benkendefoundation

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