Paul’s personal connection to disability advocacy

For Paul Diviny, Founder and Director of Prospert, disability advocacy is not just a professional endeavour—it’s personal. His daughter, Bridget, has been living with a hearing impairment since she was eight years old, and this has shaped Paul’s commitment to ensuring inclusive opportunities for people with disability.

Bridget’s story began when she developed a condition called cholesteatoma, a serious infection that caused significant damage to her hearing. After undergoing a five-hour surgery, Bridget lost about 80% of her hearing in her right ear and now wears a hearing aid.

Reflecting on this time, Paul recalls the challenges they faced as a family.

"It was a really tough period for us, trying to navigate the health system and find the right treatment for Bridget,” he says.

“When you’re a parent, you just want to do everything you can to help your child."

At that point, Bridget was attending a local primary school, but the family quickly realised that she needed a learning environment that could better support her specific needs.

"We started looking at schools with facilities for students with hearing impairments—classrooms with built-in speakers, teachers trained to use special communication tools," Paul explains.

This search led them to an open day hosted by Deaf Children Australia, an organisation supporting children and young people with hearing impairments.

During the event, Paul and his family discovered Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School, a small school in Canterbury, Victoria that offered a scholarship for hearing-impaired students through the Beth MacLaren Smallwood Scholarship.

"It was a real turning point for us," Paul says.

"Bridget applied for the scholarship, and she was accepted at the start of Year 5. That really put her on a path for success in education."

Strathcona provided Bridget with a supportive environment and resources, helping her manage her hearing impairment while excelling academically.

Today, Bridget is pursuing a double degree in biomedicine and law at Monash University, and her resilience has been a source of inspiration for Paul.

"Bridget has never let her disability hold her back. She’s worked hard, and seeing her thrive at university makes me incredibly proud," he shares.

Bridget’s journey has profoundly influenced Paul’s work at his consulting business, Prospert, particularly in his current efforts to support organisations like Deaf Children Australia, which are dedicated to improving opportunities for people with disabilities. Through their disability employment service known as Sign for Work, Deaf Children Australia have a team specially dedicated to supporting deaf and hard of hearing jobseekers.

Prospert is partnering with Deaf Children Australia on their tender for a specialist disability employment service, a project with special meaning for Paul.

"It feels like things have come full circle," he says.

"Deaf Children Australia played such an important role in Bridget’s life, and now we’re working with them to help even more people like her."

"We were incredibly fortunate that Bridget got the support she needed at such a critical time in her life. Now, I’m proud to be helping Deaf Children Australia expand their services so they can continue to make a difference for other children and their families," he says.

Paul’s lived experience as parent of a child with disability ensures that his work with Prospert goes beyond just business—it’s about making sure people with disability have the education and employment support to reach their full potential.

"Everyone deserves the chance to succeed, regardless of their challenges," he says.

"That’s what drives me every day."

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