Shamira started Sham’s Beauty Products because, in her words, “I love [a] massage and good smelling beauty products”. She also wanted to create something natural, easy to use, and that smelt great!  

Shamira is Deafblind and has trouble moving her body – as far as she and her family are aware, Shamira is the only person in the world with this exact condition.  

Sham’s Beauty Products isn’t Shamira’s only business though – she is quite the entrepreneur, also selling a range of one-off art prints through her online beauty shop. Shamira says “I love pouring paints, using stencils, glitter and experimenting with textures.” 

Shamira will be featured in the Marketplace showcasing micro-enterprises providing sustainable and meaningful employment for people with disability at the NDS WA Lunch in Celebration of IDPwD on Friday, 2 December 2022. If you can’t make it to the event, you can purchase her products on the Made It online store. You can also visit Sham’s Beauty products on Facebook.

Hailing from rural Western Australia, writer and illustrator Sarah from the Outback Bush Buddies books had a surprising start to her business – COVID-19 lockdowns. 

“During the lockdowns of 2020 I started to draw my animal characters and write stories to go with them.”   

Sarah says that as a young woman with Autism, her flair for art and storytelling is a unique way for her to celebrate both her creativity and connection to nature.  

Living on a farm with lots of animals and wildlife, Sarah drew inspiration for her book series from the animals she encounters every day. Sarah says these animals include “my own pets, and other birds and wildlife that visit our farm… I have many pet sheep, a few pigs, a couple of chihuahuas, and a wild cat that has adopted our family!”.  

Sarah is at the beginning of her book series – her first children’s novel in the series is called The Bush Tale of Timmy the Lamb.  

On The Bush Tale of Timmy Lamb, Sarah says “I hope children who read the story will love Timmy and feel excitement and joy from hearing all about his adventures!” Sarah is looking forward to expanding the series with other animals soon.  

Sarah will be featured in the Marketplace showcasing micro-enterprises providing sustainable and meaningful employment for people wth disability at the NDS WA Lunch in Celebration of IDPwD  on Friday, 2 December 2022. If you can’t make it to the event, you can order her book, artwork and learn more about her on her website.  

Gemma likes to do many things. She swims, rides horses, works part-time at an op shop, and enjoys hip hop music. She is also the person behind the Greeting Card’s business called Gem’s Cards. 

Gemma says that her business started out small – she started out hand-making cards in 2017 for close friends. But since then, it’s blossomed into a business that sells unique cards for Christmas’, Birthdays, Farewells and Congratulatory events. She can even make individualised cards to make someone in your life feel extra special.   

Gemma also happens to have Autism and Anxiety. If there’s one thing she wants people to know about having a disability, it’s that “Disability does not stop me wanting to be part of the community and having a meaningful and happy life.” 

This year’s theme for International Day of People with Disability is “Transformative solutions for inclusive development”, which is about how technology can be used to help disability employment and inclusion. Gemma says assistive technology has been a great tool for her work – and personal life. 

“I use apps on my phone and my watch to help me organise my day using calendars/reminders, [and] to support my emotional regulation/ mental health and well-being.”  

Gemma will be featured in the Marketplace showcasing micro-enterprises providing sustainable and meaningful employment for people with disability at the NDS WA Lunch in Celebration of IDPwD  on Friday, 2 December 2022.  If you can’t make it to the event, you can purchase products on the Gem’s Cards website. You can also visit Gem’s Cards on Facebook. 

An emerging young artist with Autism, Dylan’s art and merchandise business called Beautiful Blue Spectacular centres on his absolute favourite colour – blue!  

Dylan’s work focuses on animals (particularly sea life), including penguins, fish and stingrays, but is also inspired by Dylan’s favourite TV shows and music. Dylan has been painting for the past three to four years.  

Dylan feels very strongly about the importance of inclusion of people with disability. He says “Inclusion is very important in community for a person’s dignity, security, and opportunity to lead a better life.  

“In [the] workplace people with disabilities, just like people without disabilities, want to feel welcome and comfortable and where they are seen, valued, and appreciated for what they can bring to the table.  

If there’s one thing Dylan would like people without disabilities to know, it is that “Having a disability makes us different to the world, but we are as important as any other person out there.” 

Dylan will be featured in the Marketplace showcasing micro-enterprises providing sustainable and meaningful employment for people with disability at the NDS WA Lunch in Celebration of IDPwD  on Friday, 2 December 2022 If you can’t make it to the event, you can visit the Art by Dylan Madurun Facebook page.