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IDPwD content creator Brendan Bernier presenting morning radio in Queensland with his mentor Susan Graham-Ryan.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The ABC has awarded its 2026 International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) Storyteller Scholarship to Brendan Bernier and Julie Dickson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Run in partnership with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, the scholarship supports emerging creators with disability, helping break down barriers and challenge community perceptions. It is open to contributors previously engaged through the ABC\u2019s IDPwD Employment Fund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ABC Director of News Justin Stevens said this year\u2019s recipients will create content representing diverse communities that can face stigma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBy producing quality content and letting their skills and talents shine, this year\u2019s winners will help challenge perceptions and broaden understanding of disability in the community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senator the Hon Jenny McAllister, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, congratulated the recipients, highlighting the importance of authentic representation of disability in media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis scholarship helps break down longstanding barriers by providing practical experience, professional networks and confidence within the media industry. It\u2019s a win-win for recipients and the audience.\u201d Minister McAllister said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brendan Bernier, from Toowoomba, previously collaborated with ABC Radio North Queensland, co-presenting, producing interviews and contributing to an IDPwD showcase episode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve been an avid radio listener for years and now that I\u2019m conducting interviews myself, I\u2019m enjoying experiencing that dynamic from the other side of the microphone,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “What I love most is hearing people\u2019s stories from all kinds of backgrounds. Short-form interviews are a rewarding challenge, capturing the most interesting moments in a tight window of time. Creating content and listening to how a conversation unfolds continues to be a fascinating process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Julie Dickson, based in Melbourne, is an accomplished powerlifter who has won silver medals at the World Dwarf Games in both powerlifting and basketball. She has worked with ABC Lifestyle and ABC News Victoria on content highlighting the rise of women in powerlifting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s still a lot of stigma surrounding short stature, so recognising IDPwD helps raise awareness, educate the public, and challenge misconceptions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA highlight of my time working on my IDPwD project was having my para powerlifting competition documented. I’m very lucky to have such a special memory captured on camera and in writing that I can look back on in the years to come.\u201d IDPwD content creator Julie Dickson. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" IDPwD content creator Brendan Bernier presenting morning radio in Queensland with his mentor Susan Graham-Ryan. The ABC has awarded its 2026 International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) Storyteller Scholarship to Brendan Bernier and Julie Dickson. Run in partnership with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, the scholarship supports emerging creators with disability, helping … Continue reading “ABC IDPwD 2026 Storyteller Scholarship winners announced”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-australian"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2492"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2492\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2493,"href":"http:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2492\/revisions\/2493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/radioindustrynews.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n\n\n\n