Impact Story - Mikayla Bohmer
I still live in a world where my disability is often seen before my humanity. Where I have to work harder just to be seen and valued for who I am,” says Mikayla Bohmer.
Mikayla is a lived experience consultant and an aspiring accessibility designer in her late twenties. She is a proud First Nations woman of the Kaurareg People, lives in Brisbane and has Cerebral Palsy.
For Mikayla, the road to inclusion as a person with disability remains fraught with misunderstanding. “Inclusion often feels like a checkbox, not a culture,” she says. “Workplaces don’t always know how to genuinely support or accommodate people with disability in ways that actually work for us. There’s still a mindset that asks how well I can fit into a system that wasn’t designed with me in mind, instead of asking what I bring to the table.”
Mikayla chose to send her answers to my questions in writing, which is just one example of how accessibility can be made to work for her. Her writing clearly reflects her passion for changing how people with disability are asked to engage with work and with the world more broadly.
When we meet over video chat, her beaming smile and articulate presence only strengthen the impression that she is deeply committed to what she does. Mikayla is not just talking about inclusion. She is actively working to redefine it.
Coming from a background in advocacy, co-design, and research focused on accessibility, inclusion, and disability-led systems change, Mikayla Bohmer says that being a member of the Disability Employment Catalyst (DEC) Steering Committee has been one of the most meaningful projects she has contributed to professionally.
“It’s one of the few spaces where lived experience is not only respected but placed at the centre of everything,” Mikayla says. “We’re not just involved in the process. We’re driving it. We are creating a system from the ground up with disability leadership at the core.”
Mikayla tells me that living with Cerebral Palsy means constantly navigating systems that were not designed with her in mind. Through her role on the DEC Steering Committee, she is using those experiences to inform and design real, lasting change.
She explains the power of lived experience by saying, “I’ve turned those challenges into insight. What I bring is not just knowledge but lived understanding. Through my work I advocate for spaces where we don’t need to prove our worth just to be included. Spaces where disability is not a barrier but a perspective that strengthens the whole system.”
Mikayla readily articulates both the challenges and strengths she experiences in the workplace. But she says the biggest challenge is that many employers still treat accessibility as an afterthought.
“It can feel like you have to constantly explain or justify what you need,” she says, “rather than it being assumed that workplaces should be ready and responsive.”
For Mikayla, the solution starts with shifting the way we think and talk about disability. She believes we need to humanise the narrative, and she articulates clearly what that looks like.
“Real inclusion means understanding the person, not just the label. It’s about taking the time to ask what matters to you, what support feels right to you, instead of applying one-size-fits-all approaches. We humanise the experience by recognising the whole person, their goals, identities, cultural background, support needs, and strength, and working with them, not for them.”
The most rewarding part of her work on the Disability Employment Catalyst Steering Committee and in her broader advocacy, Mikayla tells me, is seeing her own and other people with disability’s lived experience drive real change.
“When something I share helps shift a mindset, challenge a policy, or shape a more inclusive space, that feels powerful,” she says. “It shows that lived experience is not just valid, it is vital. It has the power to shape better systems for everyone.”
It is clear when speaking with Mikayla that her involvement on the steering committee is a true labour of passion. When asked about her hopes for the future of the Disability Employment Catalyst, that passion comes through once again.
“My hope for the Disability Employment Catalyst is that it continues to lead the way in redefining what disability employment can look like, not just in Australia but around the world,” says Mikayla.
“I want to see a future where people with disability are valued for who they are, not just how well they can adapt to a workplace that was not built for them.”
With people like Mikayla on board, it is clear, the future of the Disability Employment Catalyst is in good hands.
