Creative submissions

Creative submissions

This page contains a gallery of Creative submissions that were received by the Disability Royal Commission between 2019 and December 2022. 

To view the images in the gallery at full size, click your mouse on any image. The image will open in the middle of the screen. You can navigate between the images by using the left and right arrows on the page.

To return to this window press the 'Esc' key on your keyboard or click on the cross button in the top right side of the screen.

Digital artwork in black and white depicting of a tree and a fish
Artwork by: Emily Unity
Hand-drawn in colourful texta. Images include a heart balloon, pairs of stick figures, speech bubbles and a peace sign. The artist has written statements of how they would like their life to be
Artwork by: Alyson Booth
The artwork is an anime-style drawing and a poem titled 'two worlds at the same time'. The image is of a young girl with a floral veil and ribbons. The poem is the artists interpretations of these worlds at the same time and the confusion with trying to understand, as the rules aren't always obvious in the outside world
Artwork by: Mardi Terrason
Mannequin figures are depicted in 5 boxes of varying sizes and they appear trapped and are attempting to push out/ break out from the box. A white reversed heading in the centre of the artwork, 'INVISIBLE BOXES' and the artist's name in grey
Artwork by: Emily Unity
A hand-drawing of a house with a ramp from the driveway to the front door. Hand written text in capitals 'Terry falls down stairs so need ramp. To feel safe need both front and back. A yellow speech bubble with handwritten text 'Ramp Safe House'.
Artwork by: Leanne Cohen
Hand-written UNCRPD [United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities] Articles 1 to 50. Dark vertical lines drawn at intervals top to bottom, like prison bars in the background. Lock out, Lock in, Lock away in large purple and orange type written over the top
Artwork by: Laura Lewis
Vibrant painting of a blue vase with an orange background and pink flowers, using thick brush strokes
Artwork by: Alice Fullerten
Equal Health, Health, Closure of Institutions. A hand-drawing of scales of justice. The left has coloured lightning bolts around an enclosed coloured shape. The right a green plus sign. Signed by Judy H
Artwork by: Judy Huett
A drawing in crayon depicting a person the size of an ant and their view of a garden in the rain. The grass, plants and flowers dwarf the person
Artwork by: Mardi Terrason
Text based artwork, hand-written in large cursive type. The text is green with highlights of blue and red to add interest. The text reads: ‘A trip to Kenya Death Valley USA Mexacalli in Mexico a trip to Baghdad’
Artwork by: Damian Colpo
A hand-drawn stick figure smiling and love heart with pink and purple colouring. "I don't like fighting it makes me sad". I want to make more friends at speakout that makes me happy." Is written in yellow speech bubbles
Artwork by: Georgia Coppleman
Mixed media collage. Magazine articles are glued down and the words Liberation, Human Rights, Freedom and UNCRPD are written in red crayon over press articles. A garbage bin in the centre has a placard with the words 'DISABLED LIVES MATTER' 
Artwork by: Laura Lewis
'People shouting is not good' text over coloured texta background coloured in purple, pink and blue
Artwork by: Eric Kwong
A hand-drawn, yellow right hand. Green and blue circle and love heart outlines are scattered around the hand with the name JOHN written on it
Artwork by: John Marshall
A hand-drawing of a bird, flowers, a smiling face, drum and a speech bubble with different coloured dots joining all. Stars and crosses scattered around. JULIE is written in green at the top
Artwork by: Julie Rosendale
The artwork is a large colourful mural painted in bright colours. Images of flowers, hearts, music notes the words love, together, welcome and found within the artwork
Artwork by: Group Art Mural, Melville WA
Painting on black background, yellow with blue and white thick brush strokes next to a persons face
Artwork by: Maree Fairbanks
Aubse [sic] is never OK. Hand-drawing of two people one smiling and the other frowning. Between is an imprint of a fist from paint
Artwork by: Kiara Lavin
Two yellow speech bubbles, one with coloured circle embellishment. Signed by Lorraine Cooper and text 'get my car licence'. Flowers are drawn in light and dark purple
Artwork by: Lorraine Cooper
This artwork is a mixed-media collage of a two-storey house with verandahs and a car. A bright painted blue sky and sun with a large tree. Magazine cut out images of food, sculptures, scales are pasted inside the house
Artwork by: Karen Fletcher
'Better living. Better hospitals. Living in your house. Safety crossing roads. More traffic. More work for people'. Brightly coloured painted sentences.
Artwork by: Peter Ramsden
Painting and collage. A blue and red painted background with post-it notes with writing pasted on top. 'I would love to have a dog I like to have my own money. I like to go holiday to Adelaide to visit my sister. My job is an artist. Go swimming. Live close to my mum. Karaoke machine in my house I like living with my friends. An image of music and shopping appear in collage
Artwork by: Jim Simpson
The signed artwork is on a black background with painted pink, silver and green squiggles with white blotches which look like clouds. Gold circles appear amongst the squiggles and blotches
Artwork by: Laura Lewis
In his artwork Matthew drew pictures to illustrate the things he likes and what he would like to do more of
Artwork by: Matthew Marshall
Hand-written artwork in large cursive type. The text is green with blue highlights as well as upper and lower case letters to add interest. The text reads: ‘Rights, health, a trip, Trips around to Entea a trip to Iran tasmania I am enjoying a trip to sydney I am enjoying a trip Oman to I am enjoying a trip to Saudi Arabia in the middle east, Enjoying a fam trip to ragastan in India. Visit sydney again’
Artwork by: Damian Colpo
The painting depicts a woman with long dark hair in a long red gown sits on a bar stool near an opening to a dance floor where couples are dancing. A man facing the woman he is wearing a dark suit and bright blue shirt, he has his arms crossed.
Artwork by: Micheline Lee
An anime-style drawing and a written story. The image is a girl with no facial features with long yellow hair, wearing a pink and blue t-shirt and black cardigan with a blue thought bubble over her head. To the right of the page a poem speaks of acting like a cat to communicate, which can be fun but can't always be controlled. The author asks why do they have to?
Artwork by: Mardi Terrason
Painted green circles with lines extended at the side and bottom appear to be a person with arms extended. The letter M on both sides of the person. One painted in green the other in blue.
Artwork by: Maxine Flakemore
Right to have the same pay as everyone else, better health care. Hand-drawing of a smiling piggy bank with a green dollar sign and large gold coin going in the top.
Artwork by: Kiara Lavin
Dark purple background with words in the shape of a bird each emphasised by various sizes and colours. All words are in a cursive script in the colours yellow, red, orange and blue. The largest words include kids, needs, carers, school, issues, support, autism, family and understanding
Artwork by: Unidentified contributor
Abstract artwork of soft mottled colours of blue, dark pink, apricot and black resembles soft clouds
Artwork by young people supported by ARROS
A simple painting of a person with arms extended, using blue paint and a thick brush. Green paint has been used for the eyes and nose. Hand painted M and Me in purple paint
Artwork by: Maxine Flakemore
A hand-written story in purple and orange with a frowning face and questions marks. Sonia states that people with disability face too much abuse and bullying and this should stop
Artwork by: Sonia Hume
Collage and mixed media artwork - coloured paper with their hopes and dreams surround a drawing of a house with kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and lounge room, around the house are pictures of a dog, turtle, black cockatoo, a desert, Big Ben, space and La Sagrada Familia (Basilica in Spain). Yangan Satour is written in big letters to one side of the artwork
Artwork by: Yagan Satour
Abstract art of a vignette from dark blue on the right graduating to light blue then to dark purple on the left . A white stripe is in the centre
Artwork by young people supported by ARROS
A purple hand-drawn hand with blue, green, red and yellow text around the hand. Moniques submission illustrates the need for inclusion and that everyone deserves to be respected and treated the same. Flower and butterfly motifs are drawn on the hand
Artwork by: Monique Crowden
A hand-drawing of an office, a stick figure smiling and two hearts with initials. Two speech bubbles suggest more work is wanted in the office
Artwork by: Peter Cox
The artwork depicts a circus near a river and a busy freeway. Mime artists are balancing on a heart with sheets of paper floating around them. Legal professionals wearing white wigs watch the performance. The artwork conveys themes of isolation and sadness
Artwork by: Lilith West
This photographic scene shows a person hiding their identity holding a red string attached to a fake television that is connected to another person writing on a sheet of paper.
Artwork by: Obscura
Painted coloured ideas in red, blue, yellow and green. 'Spring time, Growing your own flower, Bird life, Doing your own design, You’re wrights, Getting on with life, Peter'
Artwork by: Peter Ramsden
A simplistic green hand-drawn image of an adult and a baby with writing over the top stating 'I would like to see my baby neice' [sic]
Artwork by: Phil Coleman
A colourful painting, a black star in the centre, with a large tree behind it. The trunk is orange with green dots and the top id green with orange dots to the top right is fluro pink swirl with blue dots and to the left of the tree is blue and purple radiating curvy lines and below that it radiating orange and black semi circluar shapes. There is an upside down chartater in the right bottom corner with spikey black hair and a smiley face, another person appears to be pushing in thumb tacks
Artwork by young people supported by ARROS
The artwork is on a dark green background with dark grey clouds, there is a brown house with smoke billowing from a fireplace. Words are written within the smoke - manipulation, control, trauma, bashings, abuse, emotional neglect, drugs and alcohol. The scene within the house appears traumatic. A bubble protects a family of five from the traumatic scene where the sun is shining and all appear happy
Artwork by young people supported by ARROS
A simplified black and white hand drawing of a person with a scalpel with reference to a vet nurse
Artwork by: Samantha Dyer
A simplified hand-drawing of two people getting married. One has short hair the other with pigtails, both are smiling.
Artwork by: Samantha Dyer
Painted background of yellow pink, blue, red and green sections. A black, hand-drawn, dragon on the green background. A big green fist on the yellow background with video game icons. A small dragon in the centre of the pink background. A heart with a line with up and down arrows with text UP's + Downs on the blue background
Artwork by: Victorian Youth Art
A sketch of a man falling in mid-air and another with a missing head. A tall building with stick figures linked to a workshop. Handwritten text describes lack of communication for fair and safe work environments
Artwork by: Peter Huett
Hand-drawing of two people with yellow speech bubbles containing illegible red text
Artwork by: Samantha Dyer
Dark background with the word 'NEGLECT' each letter painted in alternating red and yellow. Painted in red below is 'NEGLECT BY PARENTS'. A green border appears at the bottom of the page
Artwork by young people supported by ARROS
"HELP". Hand-drawing of a person behind bars in a building with a green door with a clock in an orange starburst
Artwork by: Crystal Alderson
The abstract artwork has a dark background with big bright red circles with blurred edges and gold splattered over the top
Artwork by young people supported by ARROS
A person is holding up a mixed media collage. The artwork represents how the artists would like their Supported Independent Living (SIL) home to be. It is a drawing of a house with sections for the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and lounge room with pasted magazine and drawn images belonging to each of the rooms. Around the house are pictures of a dog, a desert, Big Ben, space and a large, spired building. 
Artwork by: Yagan Satour
Abstract artwork the background from left to right are four wide water-colour stripes of light green, purple, red and dark green. A red love heart in the centre with a black border. A signature with a stylised heart runs vertical on the artwork
Artwork by young people supported by ARROS
"WENDELL". A drawing of a left hand with many small shapes scattered around in the colour green, blue, black, pink and red.
Artwork by: Wendell Harper
The artwork is a neutral beige colour with a subtle yellow swirl that lightens in the middle. Pink and green grass appear to be coming out of the red soil
Artwork by young people supported by ARROS
A drawing of someone with long yellow hair wearing a black jacket over a pink and blue top, the face is covered behind the person is a white background with black inconsistent zig zag line. A poem written at the bottom is about the inability to find words to answer, due to confusion
Artwork by: Mardi Terrason
A hand-drawing of an adult, a wheelchair user, a person at a table, a cat Sam and a symbol of money. Text is speech bubbles and above pictures includes, "to be a caring person caring person and a job. Money Note. Having a own house saves nids"
Artwork by: Samantha Dyer
A painting of an eye with black eyelashes on a background of rainbow-coloured clouds. The centre of the eye is red and has a flower pattern. The bottom of the page has a photograph of an eye with some fingers near it. Text is in the middle between the two eyes. The artist feels misunderstood when not making eye contact
Artwork by: Mardi Terrason
The artwork in pencil has a series of rings and cogs overlapping each other with some pink highlights underneath the cogs and rings. A list of instructions is numbered out-of-order and conveys how the artist interprets their world
Artwork by: Mardi Terrason
The artwork is a hand-drawing of a person with long yellow hair in a pink polka dot dress. A garden of various coloured flowers and a craft room with a loveheart. The artwork expresses the need for equality of treatment for people with disability in the workplace and provides an example of being underpaid. Kalena also expresses the desire to keep the same support workers
Artwork by: Kalena Bos
The artwork is an anime-style drawing and a poem titled 'They are definitely getting away from the strings'. The artist describes how difficult it can be to wear a mask to hide their differences but it can be exhausting. The anime-character has pink hair big black eyelashes, with a big smile she wears a yellow and black chest plate and patches on her shoulders, elbow and hand
Artwork by: Mardi Terrason
Four faces in each corner of the artwork drawn on purple and red circles are angry or poking out their tongue. A smiling face in the centre drawn on a pink circle with a black border
Artwork by young people supported by ARROS
The artwork is an anime-stye drawing and a poem titled 'explaining and instructing are different'. The drawing is a girl with long yellow hair with two band-aids crossing over her face. The poem and a thought bubble express the artist need for direct instruction rather than complex explanation
Artwork by: Mardi Terrason
The artwork is an anime-stye drawing and a poem titled 'story maths'. Anime-style character with long rainbow colour hair a big black and purple witches style hat with black flowers on it. The artist expresses how difficult it can be to understand complex math problems which contain a story rather than pure maths
Artwork by: Mardi Terrason
Painted background of yellow pink, blue, red and green sections. An upside-down green butterfly and heart with a line with up and down arrows with text 'UP's + Downs on the pink background. A ying and yang symbol on the red background. In the centre a mushroom with eyes. The green background has video game symbols
Artwork by: Victorian Youth Art
A painted house with writing inside and outside. The writing is in green and pink with love hearts and a cross drawn near a stick figure of a wheel-chair user
Artwork by: Judy Huett
A photo of panelled window with line-drawings in black on the photo and a story. The drawings resemble fluffy clouds, birds, and a boat at sea during a storm and a grid which appears to be a calendar. The story expresses how the artist can relax to help concentrate better in the classroom
Artwork by: Mardi Terrason
Artwork created by young people with disability and shows interpretations in the art of their experiences of engaging with child safety services and living in out-of-home care environments. The artwork has a green background with a black circle and curved line which makes the balloon appear to be floating
Artwork by young people supported by ARROS
A pencil drawing and story titled 'my brain is glass and it shatters'. The drawing of a black and white cat, with white nose. Around the cat are paisley style patterns, a red heart and other swirls of colour
Artwork by: Mardi Terrason
A hand-drawn person coloured in orange and red with a speech bubble. Mental health is important and people need more help in rural areas from people who know the rural life
Artwork by: Sharon Oxley
Vibrant painting of a landscape on a sunny day. Bright colours depict a blue lake and small trees in the foreground, a sandy beach and green mountains and a blue sky in the background
Artwork by: Alice Fullerten
Artwork has a white background and blue dots. A large letter 'R' has a cross over the top with multi-coloured words, 'take a load off our chest'
Artwork by young people supported by ARROS
Artwork with red background and spatters of yellow and black paint
Artwork by young people supported by ARROS
A large letter 'H' in the centre of the page with gold leaves on a vine around it. Words are written in purple, blue green and yellow. 'help make change', 'the right to be safe', 'courage', 'positive' and 'listen to us'
Artwork by young people supported by ARROS
A drawing of a wheelchair user smiling with their thumbs up, 'Friends' is written in yellow. A red circle with a diagonal line covering a fist
Artwork by: Sonia Hume
A painting of a flower with five petals yellow on the outside then blue, pink, green and orange
Artwork by: Unknown artist
Drawing on house shaped paper. The artwork is a hand-drawing of family members and their homes. This is the artists interpretation about returning to country from Support Assisted Living (SIL) in Darwin, to visit family and friends and attend a local church. William is a First Nations person
Artwork by: William Mareko
Artwork is a pencil drawing and story titled 'outside the world not in it'. The drawing is the back of a person with long hair looking towards tall buildings in the distance 
Artwork by: Mardi Terrason
A hand-drawn person smiling with black shoulder length hair, eyes and mouth coloured in yellow. Writing next to the image - 'Want more advocates to help us'. Signed by Rodney 2021 Speakout
Artwork by: Rodney Smith
Artwork created by young people with disability and shows interpretations in the art of their experiences of engaging with child safety services and living in out-of-home care environments. The abstract artwork has one large eye with tears and is hovering over a chessboard inside a black circle and green random-shaped border 
Artwork by young people supported by ARROS
Abstract artwork with a light purple background and twelve pink circles, four down and three across. Each circle with a purple dot in the centre surrounded by smaller dots. Wavy, dark lines are diagonal. STOP is repeated three times and there are frowning faces
Artwork by young people supported by ARROS
A story and drawing titled 'The way she feel'. A razor blade has a red line from one corner running down the artwork. The story is contained in a large black horseshoe shape. 'When she closed her she found relief in a knife, flows as she cries'
Artwork by young people supported by ARROS
The words 'VENT!!' in yellow, 'CHANGE!!' in blue and 'CLEAR THE HEAD!!' in purple written over a large black letter 'R'. Twelve different kinds of faces, confused, angry, annoyed, scared, frustrated, sad, smiling, crying, drained, bored, disappointed, worried are on the bottom borders of the artwork
Artwork by young people supported by ARROS
A large black 'S' in the middle of a white page a border of pink, blue and purple with the text 'So that people will have knowledge of what is happening to help make a change' in gold
Artwork by young people supported by ARROS
The poem talks of the author's difficulties with reporting instances of violence, abuse and neglect and how that makes her feel
Poem by: Samantha Black
The poem talks of hope for each day that she will be noticed and be able to meaningful connections with others
Poem by: Samantha Black
The poem compares the authors experience of the education system for young people with disability to being marooned on an island without the help and support of other students or teachers to leave the island. 
Poem by: Summer Farrelley
A poem illustrating the need for improved community attitudes and participation. Also noted that people with disability matter and should feel like they belong. In addition the author believes that people with disability deserve meaningful employment opportunities and afforded the opportunity to be paid equally like everyone else
Poem by: Jasmine Smith
A poem titled 'Survival' hand-written in capital letters. A small drawing of a tree and rocks in a corner. The poem talks of lack of calm and order from bipolar disorder and how hope has been restored with counselling
Poem by: Unknown