The post Podcast Appearance: Elise Lonsdale on the Aaron’s Opinion Podcast – With Aaron Richmond appeared first on Disability & Assistive Technology Access Australasia.
]]>My Journey
In this wide-ranging conversation, I reflect on humble beginnings — factory work, manual labour, and wiring neon signs — through to advanced IT and Access Technology training. We talk about my earlier roles as a helpdesk analyst, web developer, DAISY talking book producer, and how those experiences shaped my work as an Access Technology trainer.
Communication, Leadership, and Community
I discuss the role Toastmasters has played in helping me structure my thinking, refine my communication, and become a more effective trainer and presenter. This journey naturally led to my involvement with the Apple User Society of Melbourne, including time as Vice President, and later to my work with the Statewide Vision Resource Centre (SVRC).
DATA Australasia and Training Philosophy
We explore how DATA Australasia was formed, why the name was chosen, and why curriculum-based training in Access Technology matters. I strongly advocate for foundational skills — such as keyboarding and touch-screen gestures — being taught before higher-level tasks like social media, word processing, email and advanced applications. Without strong foundational skills in access technology, learners are being set up to struggle by some of our Major blindness organisations.
Sector Experience and Independence
The podcast also touches on my experiences working across Australia and New Zealand, including roles with Vision Australia, the Blind Foundation in New Zealand, and Visibility in Western Australia. I explain why moving away from large organisations allowed me to work more independently and deliver better outcomes for learners.
Blindness and Beyond Referral Network
In the same year I founded DATA Australasia, I also helped establish the Blindness and Beyond Referral Network. This network connects people with Orientation and Mobility instructors, orthoptists, occupational therapists, Access Technology specialists, and support workers — supporting genuine choice and control within the NDIS.
Training, Policy, and the NDIS
We discuss my study toward the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and how it strengthens my ability to deliver specialised training. I also reflect on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), how it once enabled innovation and specialised training, and how recent policy changes have undermined those opportunities.
Education and Literacy
I share my concern about outdated “sight-first” policies that still exist in some education settings, denying some children early access to braille during formative years of language development.
Closing Thoughts
Despite the challenges, I remain deeply positive about my work. I genuinely love what I do and do what I love. I enjoy creating YouTube content, networking, promoting good work, and connecting people — always for the greater good.
Thank you to Aaron Richmond for the opportunity to share this conversation.
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]]>The post Still Standing – What Doesn’t Kill You Makes you Stronger appeared first on Disability & Assistive Technology Access Australasia.
]]>At the heart of the speech was a line first written by 19th-century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche:
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
It’s a statement that has echoed across generations, and this year, it resonated with me more than ever.
In the speech, I talked openly about the demands of completing my TAE40122 Certificate IV in Training & Assessment, the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, and how it has affected my business with fewer NDIS clients. I spoke about confusion around NDIS billing, the emotional strain of uncertainty, and the feeling of pushing forward even when everything felt uphill.
But I also talked about the bright spots — the moments that reminded me that strength doesn’t only come from hardship; it comes from people.
Click the above image to Go straight to the video on YouTube.
- Meeting Kirsten, and the friendship that grew from that connection.
- The joy and privilege of meeting Monique Tonna, Toastmasters Region 12 International Director, just one week earlier at the District 73 Conference.
- The realisation that Kirsten’s suburb in Sydney is near to Parramatta Toastmasters, the club Monique is from — a connection that clicked instantly for me.
- Getting to know Wayne better who reignited my interest in amateur radio, I wish I remembered to put him in the speech, but he was kind enough to film it for me on site at TOCC Toastmasters..
- The relief of having my DCIS pre-cancerous lump removed.
- Celebrating my 60th birthday, despite everything this year has thrown at me.
One of the most difficult chapters was my forced resignation from Croydon Yarra Valley Toastmasters Club — a moment that reduced me to tears as I sent the letter. It felt like a door slamming shut.
What I didn’t yet know, because it happened the day after my speech, is this:
I was reinstated to CYV Toastmasters and as of the time of this writing, looking forward to attending my first meeting back later this week .
A wrong was righted — and that resolution deserves its place in the story.
This Speech is in its rawest form, having only a few hours notice prior to my giving it. It Is my hope that may be a more refined version of this speech might be entered into the International speech contest next year.
After all of it — the setbacks, the challenges, the confusion, the health scares, the emotional toll — I’m still here.
Still working.
Still showing up.
Still serving my community.
Still standing.
If my speech reaches even one person who feels they are carrying too much right now, then sharing it was worth every moment. Resilience isn’t about being untouched — it’s about rising, even if you rise slowly.
Still Standing, resilience, what doesnt kill you makes you stronger, Friedrich Nietzsche, motivational speech, Toastmasters, Toastmasters International, public speaking, District 73, Region 12, personal growth, overcoming adversity, TAE40122, adult education, vocational education, VET sector, access technology, digital accessibility, NDIS community, life journey, DCIS, health journey, 60th birthday, strength through struggle, inspirational story, reflective speech
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]]>The post Vox Pop at Toast of the Country Club – A One-Sentence Challenge appeared first on Disability & Assistive Technology Access Australasia.
]]>Elise Lonsdale is linking her Toastmasters experience to her Business. Toastmasters encourages strong communication and business skills, growth and confidence.
“Toastmasters, Where Leaders are Made”
At Thursday night’s meeting of Toast of the Country Club Toastmasters, I decided to try something a little different — a classic Vox Pop: one simple question, one sentence allowed. I wandered around the dinner table and asked, “What have you gotten out of Toastmasters?” First up was Immediate Past District Director David Martin, who actually interviewed me when I first started the camera as a test of my wireless microphone for an upcoming speech — poetic symmetry! Then I grabbed a sentence from Wayne Eldridge, circled back for another from David, and continued on to President Jackson Green. The fabulous Marlene Sinclair, DTM several and currently our Vice President Education, took two turns — because of course she did. Rounding it out were the always-reliable Victoria Carruthers, our club member and Sergeant‑at‑Arms and Sue Dymond, the Area 34 Director.
Then I popped in for my own Comment, Elise Lonsdale
In true Toastmasters fashion, the challenge wasn’t finding people willing to speak — it was seeing whether they could keep it to one sentence. Let’s just say the results were delightfully humorous… and proved once again that Toastmasters are born communicators.
#Toastmasters #ToastmastersInternational #District73 #AreaR34 #AreaR35 #AreaR36 #AreaR37
#PublicSpeaking #CommunicationSkills #LeadershipDevelopment
#VoxPop #MemberVoices #ToastmastersLife #ClubCulture
#PersonalGrowth #ConfidenceBuilding #SpeakWithConfidence
#ToastOfTheCountryClub #TOCCTM #RingwoodToastmasters
#HumourInSpeaking #OneSentenceChallenge #CommunityLeadership #WandinToastmasters #CroydonYarraValleyToastmasters
#EliseLonsdale
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]]>The post How to Avoid Coming up to the Front of the Room to Deliver a Table Topic or Speech in Toastmasters appeared first on Disability & Assistive Technology Access Australasia.
]]>As many of you know, in July 2025, I served as the Toastmaster for the afternoon at Wandan Toastmasters, where the theme was Artificial Intelligence.
Typically, someone with a major role doesn’t receive a table topic, but in this instance, it happened. The question from our Table Topics Master was:
you’re at a dinner party discussing AI with engineers, and you’re trying to devise a way to avoid coming to the front of a Toastmasters club to deliver a table topic or a speech. This YouTube video shows my result.
We run hybrid meetings and in this instance, our table topics Master was coming in via zoom while I and other members were in the club room. 
To give a hint to the answer that I gave perhaps remote learning may be an option for you if I can’t get to you in person.
For Information on my Training Business, please visit https://dataaustralasia.com.au
For Information on the Wandin Toastmasters Club: Please also visit: https://www.facebook.com/WandinToastmasters/?checkpoint_src=any
The Photos and posts on our Wandin Toastmasters Facebook page are regularly updated with new content by our social media guru.
#wandintoastmasters #Toastmasters #DATAAustralasia #DATAAust #Tabletopics
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]]>The post Reading with Speach – Writing an Affective Speech appeared first on Disability & Assistive Technology Access Australasia.
]]>On May, 25th 2013, I did my second project in the presentation master is pathway at Toastmasters. One of my clubs is Croydon Yarra Valley Toastmasters in the east of Melbourne. The speech was called reading with Speech. I spoke to the club on how people who have a vision impairment need to use access technology such as VoiceOver on the iPad to get access to the device and what is on the device. Naturally there’s more to this than what I could put in this short presentation, but it’s a good start. The club members got an understanding as to how I work. There are times that I use my iPad with the keyboard and the AirPods to make notes for evaluations and other tasks as required during meetings. When I take notes, are use a self voicing app called Voice Cream Writer. Actually another friend who is vision impaired uses voice dream reader too. This is because our devices are portable and convenient and the Voice Dream Software is stable.
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]]>The post Technology Speech – September 2023 appeared first on Disability & Assistive Technology Access Australasia.
]]>What happens if you Think of your recalcitrant Smart phone or computer when it wants to update it software as your car? What does this have to do with Toastmasters judging forms and McDonald’s?
A speech I did back in September 2023 at the White Horse Toastmasters Club in their evaluation contest for contestants to evaluate the speech. Its a humorous speech that I hope we can all relate to
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]]>The post 101 Keys – Get Intimate appeared first on Disability & Assistive Technology Access Australasia.
]]>At the #WandinToastmasters I delivered a speech approximately 14 months before this upload. At that time, my inexperience with the Orphonic website impacted the audio quality. The screen reader was quite loud and dulled the audio because I couldn’t set it up properly during the break due to complaints about the noise, It only takes a few minutes to set an audio level and get things right!
I was advocating for good keyboarding skills, aligning with the belief that “keyboard is king.” This is what we teach the kids at school: the keyboard is king.
I’ve taken this further by wanting to educate people who are blind and have low vision on modifyer keys.
Despite the difficulties in setting this pressentation up properly, the Wandered Toastmasters Club is a fantastic forum.
Most of our videos are kept in an unlisted playlist to ensure members’ anonymity and protection. However, I can share my speeches on my YouTube channel, which is my plan moving forward.
We emphasise the message “101 keys, get intimate.” You need to learn to touch the keys, feel them, and become familiar with them. Develop a fondness for the keyboard and become accustomed to it so that you know where the keys are using your proprioceptive skills.
This is essential as looking at keys isn’t an option for people with low vision or blindness.
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