Bernadette Esplin

Bernadette Esplin is a counsellor and a mother of 5 children, including her 13-year-old Laura. Fueled by love and with a relentless drive to see Laura thrive, Bernadette has advocated strongly for Laura’s inclusion in mainstream education and her local community.

Bernadette’s approach is a great example of Social Role Valorisation in action. She has encouraged Laura to develop a range of typical and highly valued roles both within and outside the school gates.

Bernadette has a strong vision for a good life for Laura. Her passion and drive have helped others see the benefits of building communities that celebrate diversity and foster belonging. She hopes that, by sharing their story, more families will develop their own visions of bright futures for their family members with disability.

Dream big

Laura Esplin has already achieved a great deal at just 13 years of age. She is a self-published author of three books, a swimmer, a gymnast, a photographer, and an aspiring model. But she might have found herself on a very different life trajectory without the strength of her own determination and her mother Bernadette’s vision of what a good life could be, now and in the future.

Early on, Bernadette recognised the need to be intentional and proactive in building a good life for Laura. She advocated strongly for Laura to be educated in inclusive learning environments and has supported Laura in taking on many roles outside of school.

In this session, Laura and Bernadette explained how inclusive schooling has laid the foundation for safeguarding Laura’s future. They described how they stuck with mainstream education even when the going got tough. Bernadette described how she helped the school embrace her vision of Laura’s great future by nurturing Laura’s interest in writing and supporting her in becoming an author.

Learn about the other conference speakers and their presentations

Pre-conference webinars

• Webinar 1 – Decision-making in everyday life – Janet Klees
• Webinar 2 – Medical safeguarding – Jo Massarelli and Cathy Ludlum
• Webinar 3 – Now is the time for vision – Darcy Elks

Main conference

• Never too late to get a life – Cathy McMahon and Josey McMahon
• The secrets of fabulous skin self-direction – Margaret Ward
• What happens when I cark it? – Linda Hughes
• Planning ahead: Safeguarding decision-making – Helen Connolly
• The importance of trust and relationship in supported decision-making – Kim Roots
• Dream big! – Laura Esplin and Bernadette Esplin
• Building bridges to neighbourhood – Sarah Faulkner
• Safeguarding a Micro Enterprise for the future – Helen Neale
• Finding and safeguarding a job – Jan Kruger
• What’s the plan? Estate planning consideration for parents and carers – Stacey Bell
• Passing on the “How”: A sibling’s journey – Rebecca Altaffer
• It’s a long game: Planning for a great future for Valen in a constantly changing world – Ann Greer, Valen Litster, and Sally Aubrey
• How to set your Executor up for success – Stacey Bell
• Safeguarding the future: A sibling’s perspective – Libby Ellis
• Dispelling myths about the Disability Support Pension, Rent Assistance, and employment income – Paul Kruger
• Your money, your future – Carolina Albornoz
• Helping relationships flourish – Tim Bavinton
• Who is the person behind the behaviour, and what do they need? – Kane Morgan
• Safeguarding Isaac’s good life through a Service for One – Sheree Henley
• Emma Davidson MLA
• Planning future finances – Chris Oates
• Crafting and safeguarding a meaningful week for Cameron – Karen Caldwell, Cameron Zellner, and Markus Zellner