Indigenising Disability: A Conversation with Uncle Paul Constable Calcott and Dr Samantha Cooms

Image (left to right): Dr Sam Cooms, Courtesy of the speaker. Paul Constable Calcott, Courtesy of the speaker.

12:00pm Friday 28 August 2026 | Ticketed, refreshments included
The Terrace Room, Level 6 Sir Llew Edwards Building (Building 14), The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072

Join Uncle Paul Constable Calcott, proud Wiradjuri man, artist, and person living with disability, and Dr Samantha Cooms, proud Noonuccal Quandamooka mother, carer and researcher in conversation as they discuss First Nations values and approaches to disability.

12.00pm Venue opens
12.30-1.30pm Talk followed by refreshments
2.00pm Event concludes

A social story is coming soon with more information about what to expect on the day.

This event is presented in partnership with the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Queensland.

Uncle Paul Constable Calcott is honored to be a community Elder who inspires other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders living with disability to connect with community, culture and build resilience. He creates inclusive spaces through yarning and sharing stories through art styles that have been handed down over thousands of years. In 2010 he started an the NuunaRon art group for First Peoples of Australia living with a disability.

As a First Nations creative living with a disability, and with decades of experience across the disability sector, Uncle Paul has contributed his time and expertise to various advisory boards, policy initiatives, committees, and service delivery frameworks. Uncle Paul represents the Interests of First Nations People with Disabilities and the Many Spirits Community on multiple committees and Advisory Boards including:

First Nations Advisory Board to Vice-Chancellor Sunshine Coast University, Recognised Elder Murri Court Maroochydore, Carers Queensland RAP advisory group, Sunshine Coast University Hospital Diversity Community Engagement Committee, Expert referent Group Disability Development Consortium, Steering committee member Evolution of Disability Arts in Australia, National Associations of the Visual Arts code of Practice focus groups, Meeting Place 2021 advisory committee and the LGBTQI+ ICL project Our Voices, Our Lives, Our Way.

Dr Samantha Cooms is a proud Noonuccal Quandamooka mother and carer, she holds a Bachelor of Psychology (hons) majoring in Indigenous Studies, a Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Research and Leadership and a PhD in Business and is now a Lecturer in Management in the Business School at the University of Queensland.

Dr Cooms has a background in psychology and experience working in the mental health and disability sectors. She is passionate about disrupting hegemonic assumptions and promoting First Nations ways of knowing, being and doing. She has experience with using both qualitative and quantitative approaches to research with a special interest in the use of poetic inquiry for sharing voices and perspectives of First Nations peoples in qualitative research. Dr Cooms' research seeks to decolonise and Indigenise knowledges with a special focus on disability to address intersectional disadvantage and disrupt ongoing colonisation. In line with this, she is passionate about connecting First Nations perspectives of inclusion and sustainability.