Ms. Joe Manton

Access Institute Director

Qualified Trainer and Assessor, Accredited Member and Industry Expert Fellow of the Access Consultants Association

Joe has undertaken access studies overseas and is an Accredited Access Consultant and Fellow of the Access Consultants Association (ACA). She was inaugural Convenor of the Victorian Access Consultants Network (VACN), past Vice President of ACA, a member of the Australian Institute of Training and Development (AITD) and an affiliate member of the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors. Joe is a highly regarded industry expert and has been recognised for her work. She is also a Fellow of Leadership Victoria and a selected participant in the prestigious inaugural program.

Joe has undertaken many hundreds of access audits as well as the development of many Disability Access and Inclusion Action Plans and other access research and improvement projects. She leads a multi-disciplinary team of experienced and qualified access professionals and trainers who have extensive skills gained from both professional and personal experience in addressing a wide range of access issues.

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Grad Dip Welfare Admin, Diploma Access Consulting, Cert IV TAE, Registered LHDS, LHDG, Changing Places and SDA Assessor

Michael Wheeler

Access Consultant, Trainer and Assessor

Qualified and Accredited Access Consultant, Trainer and Assessor

Michael is a teacher with more than 25 years’ experience working in marginalised communities. He is a qualified trainer and assessor and has consulted on a variety of teaching mediums for use in training programs relating to access. He also has extensive experience in both development and assessment of a wide range of training programs in the access industry.

Michael is a member of the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT), an Accredited Member of the Access Consultants Association (ACA).

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BA, Dip Ed, Cert IV TAE, Diploma of Access Consulting

Lucas Wheeler

Director, Future Access and SDA Assessors Australia

Qualified and Accredited Access Consultant and Trainer

With more than 10 years of experience in the built environment sector, Lucas Wheeler is a highly respected Access Consultant and the Director of Future Access and SDA Assessors Australia. He is also an experienced and qualified Trainer and Assessor.

Lucas has worked extensively with organisations across Australia, delivering strategic access advice and creating practical, effective Performance Solutions that meet the requirements of the National Construction Code (NCC) while achieving inclusive, functional access outcomes.

He is a highly experienced:

• Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) Assessor
• Livable Housing Design Guidelines Assessor
• Livable Housing Design Standard Assessor

Lucas also brings specialist expertise in developing tailored Performance Solutions for accessibility, ensuring compliance without compromising usability or design quality.

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Bach of Business, Cert IV TAE, Diploma of Access Consulting, Registered LHDS, LHDG and SDA Assessor

Sarah Collison

Occupational Therapist and Director of VerveOT

Sarah Collison is an Occupational Therapist and Director of Verve OT, leading a team of 55 Occupational Therapists across Sydney and the Blue Mountains. She specialises in assistive technology, home modifications, and complex functional assessments for NDIS participants. As the founder of Verve OT Learning, Sarah has trained thousands of Occupational Therapists nationwide to navigate the NDIS with confidence.

Sarah also facilitates the NDIS OT Community of Practice, connecting over 12,000 Occupational Therapists to share knowledge and advocate for better outcomes. Sarah co-hosts the OT Unplugged podcast, offering real conversations and insights for Occupational Therapists working within the NDIS.

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Elizabeth Haberley

Occupational Therapist and Director of Exceptional Access OT

Liz is an Occupational Therapist with 30 years’ experience working with people of all ages who have a disability.

Liz has worked in rehabilitation, intellectual disabilities and aged care settings and worked part time for 20 years for the Qld Department of Housing specialising in complex home modifications, 7 years in the NDIS world specialising in equipment prescription, complex home modifications and specialist housing for clients with highly complex physical and psychosocial disabilities. Liz has a very strong interest in social inclusion for all people and looking at ways to provide access to allow this to occur.

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Andrew Stewart

Managing Director of Hearing Connections

Andrew is the Managing Director of Hearing Connections, and wears two cochlear implants. He has ten family members over three generations who wear hearing devices, including both his children.

He is qualified in electronics and has spent his career spanning over 40 years specialising in hearing augmentation and assistive technology for people with hearing loss, bringing together his and his family’s lived experience of hearing loss together with his technical training, and his natural ability to think outside the box.

In addition, Andrew has received many awards for his advocacy work on behalf of people with hearing loss.

His experience includes research, audit, supply, install, commissioning and auditing of hearing augmentation systems – including hearing loops and receivers systems.

He also provides solutions for education including SoundField systems, public building solutions and more.

Andrew was also the drafting lead of the two pre-eminent Australian Standards defining hearing augmentation systems AS1428.5 2010 and 2021, and he is still a contributing member of Standards Australia.

Andrew brings to life the practical application of both strategies and technology, presenting them in a clear and easy to follow manner. In addition, he includes stories of his personal experience together with his experience assisting others.

See more about us at https://www.hearconnect.com.au/who-are-we

We know what hearing loss is about – we live it!

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