#june reimer
Lockdown, Healthcare and Racist Ableism
Disability studies have long been dominated by White, non-Indigenous frameworks which ignore race. The work of Professor John Gilroy and other Aboriginal scholars show that the field of disability regularly assumes that White middle-class ways of understanding disability are universal, and they therefore enforce whiteness upon disabled bodies. Our panel today will unpack the ways in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with disabilities can be better supported in the health system, how to establish cultural safety during the pandemic, and what an antiracist response to healthcare might look like.
Panellists
June Riemer is a proud Dhungutti woman from the North Coast of NSW. Throughout her career and personal life she has always championed and fought selflessly for the rights of Aboriginal people. She leads and inspires a national dedicated team and is trusted and respected by Elders across many Aboriginal communities nationally. Having worked in the community care sector for over 40 years, she shares her knowledge in an advisory capacity across multiple boards and reference groups, ensuring the rights and culture of our people are represented, respected and protected. June has represented Australia’s First People with disability alongside other Indigenous leaders, at the United Nations in both New York and Geneva. Her passion and loyalty for change is driven from the nurturing she had, from my own Elders from a young age, and it is this history that continues herjourney for change.
Lilon Bandler is Associate Professor and Principal Research Fellow for Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education (LIME) Network, working on a range of Indigenous health education projects across the spectrum of medical education. At the Sydney Medical School (2006-2019) she managed the admission pathways and provided a comprehensive support program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander medical students, whilst she developed, implemented and evaluated the Indigenous health education program. She continues to provide GP services to rural, remote and very remote western New South Wales, Australia.
Dr Chris Lemoh practises infectious diseases medicine and refugee health. He has contributed to the development of guidelines for assessing the health of recently arrived refugees and asylum seekers. Chris has a strong interest in the relationship between social equity and health. Specific interests include refugee health, HIV in mobile and marginalised populations and cross-cultural research in sexual and reproductive health. He is a former member of the Board of the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations and has an ongoing interest in the role of community engagement in public health research and delivery of clinical services. He also holds a Diploma in Clinical Epidemiology from Monash University and is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, having trained at St Vincent’s Hospital (Melbourne) and The Alfred. He was awarded a PhD in Medicine from The University of Melbourne in 2014: his doctoral thesis concerned ‘HIV in Victoria’s African communities.’ Chris is President of the Victorian African Health Action Network.
