Inform issue 22 – Autumn 2017

The Department of Foreign Affairs and
Trade allowed Estelle to work in its
Victorian office while Matt underwent
rehab at Talbot. After two years
surrounded by Matt’s family and friends
in Melbourne, Estelle and Matt moved
to Canberra so that she could take on
a policy role. She is now Australia’s
Deputy Ambassador in Mexico City.
Matt is taking a three-year break from
his full-time job as a Business Analyst
(which he held for seven years before
they moved), to take on the role of
‘diplomatic spouse’. Given the family is on
an Australian Government posting, NDIS
agreed to fund Matt’s support workers.
Mexico City is not the most accessible
city, although it is improving. Most public
buildings like cinemas, department
stores, government departments,
museums, and theatres, have wheelchair
access, but many commercial buildings
do not. Footpaths are often cracked,
or do not have curb cuts, and new
footpaths are often built without
consideration for wheelchair users.
Matt is getting around this by planning
his outings. He has worked out
accessible routes to and from local
shops and restaurants, and is getting
to know the local restaurants and
bars that have wheelchair access.
Wheelchair taxis in Mexico City are
generally reliable if booked in advance.
After Estelle was appointed, the Australian
Embassy found an accessible apartment
for the family to live in and arranged
for minor renovations to the property.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and
Trade’s attitude to employees with a
disability or with carer responsibilities
has changed for the better since Matt
had his accident in 2002. There is now a
designated ‘Disability Champion’ chosen
from amongst Australia’s highest ranking
diplomats, and the Department’s Women
in Leadership initiative has meant flexible
working hours are becoming more
accepted. This allows Estelle to balance
her work and carer responsibilities.
Overall, the move has been positive for
Matt, Estelle and their two children who
are aged five and seven. In addition to
exploring the fascinating history and
culture in Mexico City, the family have
spent a week in an accessible resort in
Campeche province, built by an American
former marine with quadriplegia and his
wife, and have visited a small Mexican
town for a weekend away with friends in
a beautiful hacienda in the mountains.
They have enjoyed incredible Mexican
food, along with authentic aged tequila
and traditionally brewed mezcal. They are
looking forward to further adventures in the
next three years of their posting in Mexico.
Autumn 2017
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