Page 11 - YOU Magazine | Issue 2

“I often harp on about how important it is to focus on people’s abilities rather than deficits.”
in which doctors, and the wider population, can work effectively with disabilities.
A founding member of doctors with Disabilities in Australia, in 2018 he was a keynote speaker
at Stanford Medicine X at
the Stanford University and TEDx Brisbane on the topic.
Aside from his paid position, Dinesh also does all he can
to prevent others facing the same challenges he has whilst strengthening his community connections. He is a member of the Commonwealth Treasury’s Inclusive Workplace Committee, an ambassador for Physical Disability Australia and sits on the scientific advisory committee of the Perry Cross Spinal Research Foundation.
In what little spare time he has, he also works as the team doctor for the Gold Coast Titans Physical Disabilities Rugby League team.
Dinesh says his advocacy
work has shown him that Australia has a fair bit of work to do in bringing employment equality
to people.
“I often quote the Queensland case of Chivers v The State of Queensland. Here, a nurse had a minor traumatic brain injury but got through nursing school. She became symptomatic at night
These types of battles are not best won in courts. They need to be won because the public opinion demands what’s right, he says.
When asked about the part his strong mental fortitude has played in both his successful recovery and his drive, Dinesh says there’s no magic formula.
“If you want something, it’s about beating at that goal every single day. It’s not about the grand plan or the big scheme. It’s about putting disciplined effort in every single day. It’s about doing the small things well because big
FEATURE
“I often harp on about how important it is to focus on people’s abilities rather than deficits. This is the approach that I take to my job. I work in an environment where skilled nurses, which includes my now fiancé, perform things like cannulation. For me, I focus on what I can do and try to do it well.”
He has been a vocal advocate for inclusive employment, using his story to demonstrate ways
with nausea. She asked to be excused from night shifts, but Queensland Health was reluctant to accommodate that. She lost the case and had to pay costs.
“Just the other day, I was talking to a nurse who is structuring her role not to have to do night shifts. It is easily done if we are willing. Instead, we spent a lot of taxpayer money to create a bad precedent in court.”
things are a collection of small things done well. This is all I did. Every single day.”
“We saw the flawless shots
that Michael Jordan sank. What we didn’t see are the ten thousand other shots that he missed while creating that. There is a lot of
work behind the scenes in every success story.”
“We live in a time where we crave easy answers. We tend to shirk the hard work though. Still, that’s where the magic lies.”
Dinesh still has carers who assist him on a day-to-day basis and concedes that physically,
on occasion, there are still complications from his injuries but says these are “easily dealt with”.
With plans to work towards a cure for spinal cord injury – “the science
is there. We just need to keep pushing,” – in almost every aspect Dinesh says he’s in the best place he has been for quite some time.”
“When I was going through law school, before the accident,
I had depression, panic disorder and Agoraphobia. That was far worse than anything that I’ve felt since 2010. Today, my mind is free. Therefore, I am free.”
“Do I feel disabled? No. I feel more able than I ever have. I’ve learned a lot about myself. You can’t make a sword without beating steel in the hottest of fires. I feel like I am a much better person for what has happened. I am thankful.”
You WINTER 2020 11