Alex Jones, 33, teacher, performer, Deaf

Alex is an actor performer and an educator. In 2005, he was Festival Director for the Cultural Festival of the Deaflympic Games in Melbourne and is a principal consultant for FOXTEL. Alex has developed a unique training and education program for primary and secondary schools in communication skills for Deaf and hearing students. Alex will soon be a father.

Anthony Butt 42, business travel operations coordinator, paraplegic

Anthony has worked as a business travel operations coordinator at Qantas for 13 years. He maintains the computer systems for approximately 120 staff and the customer service phone lines. Anthony represented Australia in swimming at the 1994 FESPIC Games in Beijing China, the 1995 Paralympic Trials in Atlanta, and again at the World Wheelchair Games in Christchurch NZ in 1999. Anthony, a keen sportsman, is going to pursue his new interest in golf over the coming months with the assistance of an adaptable golf cart.

Brad Dubberley, 26, sports fan, national coach, quadriplegic

Brad has competed in over 70 major wheelchair rugby competitions and is the head coach of the Australian Wheelchair Rugby Team. He was captain of the team that won a silver medal at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics and a bronze medal at the 2002 World Championships in Sweden. Brad is one of the youngest coaches of a national team anywhere in the world and has his sights set on guiding the Australian team to gold in Beijing in 2008. His career highlights include 3 world championships to date.

Caroline Conlon 41, artistic director, domestically challenged, Deaf

Caroline is a director, actor, translator and presenter and was born Deaf. She is the Artistic Director of the Australian Theatre of the Deaf, and has performed in New Zealand, Austria, Singapore, United States and Australia. Caroline has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Writing and has worked on many English to Auslan translation projects.

Ebru Sumaktas 30, activist, aesthete, blind

Ebru is a policy and advocacy officer with Vision Australia where she advocates for people who are blind or vision impaired, their families and carers, aiming to achieve equal opportunity and access to education, employment and everyday living.

Kurt Fearnley, 26, bushie, world champion, teacher

Kurt is a teacher, Paralympic and world marathon champion and current holder of nine individual marathon titles on five continents. He won gold medals in the 5000 metres and the marathon in Athens in 2004 and in 2007 Kurt won gold in the South African, Osaka, Paris, Rome and Los Angeles marathons.

Lindy Hou OAM, paralympic cyclist, motivational speaker, blind

Lindy is a Paralympic and world champion tandem cyclist. Since losing her sight over ten years ago Lindy, with her guide dog Harper, has made changes in her life - from IT consultant to massage therapist and motivational speaker and from triathlete to tandem cyclist. Lindy now travels the world to compete in races and is currently training for the Beijing 2008 Paralympics.

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Lisa Edmonds 40, student, basketball player, paraplegic

Lisa was a member of the first-ever Australian women's wheelchair basketball team until she retired in 2002. She currently plays in the women's national league which she helped to initiate in 2000. Lisa represented Australia at three Paralympic Games including Sydney 2000 where she won a silver medal. Lisa is currently studying event management. View Lisa in action

Dr Mark Bagshaw

Mark is the managing director of the Innov8 Consulting Group, and was formally Business Development Executive for IBM. His primary focus is to demonstrate to the world business community that addressing the issues faced by people who are economically disadvantaged is right for our society and makes good business and economic sense.

Marty Mayberry 21, university student, alpine ski racer, double amputee

Marty Mayberry is a double below knee amputee and a member of the Australian Alpine Ski Team. He recently won a world cup slalom event and is currently training towards the 2010 Games in Vancouver. He also aims to win the overall world cup slalom title this year.

Matt Laffan 37, lawyer, rugby enthusiast, paraplegic

Matt is a lawyer for the NSW Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, where he regularly appears in the Local, District and Supreme Courts of NSW. He is a forward thinking individual who fights for social justice, serves on the Law Society Council of NSW, follows rugby with a passion and because he was born with a rare genetic condition, has his “own set of wheels”.

Meg Smith, 58, university professor, social activist, bipolar disorder

Meg is a community psychologist and an associate professor in social sciences at the University of Western Sydney. She teaches and researches criminology and mental health policy and practice. Meg is president of the Mental Health Association of NSW, and a board member of the Black Dog Institute.

Nathan Johnston, 21, surfer, student, blind

Nathan Johnston has been involved in surfing since the age of 5, with local surf clubs and can often be found carving up the waves at Stanwell Park beach with his dad and his mates. At the age of 7 he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa and is now legally blind. Nathan completed his HSC in 2004 and was the first blind person in 5 years to complete his HSC as an integrated student in the public system. Nathan is currently working towards a Communications and media certificate at TAFE via distance mode and is interested in pursuing a career in legal studies in the future.

Neville Brown, 41, father, wheelchair pilot, multiple sclerosis

Neville Brown is a senior systems analyst for the Westpac Corporation - BT Financial Group. He was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at age 28 and since then has packed up his wife and nine-year old son to go live in Switzerland, taken up skiing and leaned to parasail. Neville regularly competes in the City to Surf and raises funds for ParaQuad.

Paul Nunnari, 34, policy advisor, wheelie, half-man half-machine

Paul lists his best athletic moments as winning a silver medal in the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games and winning the biggest half marathon in the world, the Oita Half Marathon. He was hit by a car at the age of 11 and since then has considered himself half man and half machine.

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Paul Wade, motivational speaker, sports coach, commentator, epileptic.

Paul is a motivational speaker, soccer coach and television presenter. Paul captained the Australian national soccer team, the Socceroos, between 1986 and 1996. With over 100 appearances playing for Australia Paul won two National Soccer League championships and was voted NSL player of the year in 1988. Paul retired from professional soccer in 1996 and now coaches children's soccer teams, is a public speaker, a sports commentator, and kept busy with his three gorgeous girls.

Professor Ronald McCallum AO, 59, law professor, music lover, blind

Professor Ronald McCallum AO is the foundation Blake Dawson Waldron Professor in Industrial Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Sydney. He is the first person who is blind to have been appointed to a full professorship in any field at any university in Australia or New Zealand. Ron advises governments on industrial relations law, is a music lover and enjoys meditation.

Ros Sackley 56, Aboriginal, teacher, advocate and activist, optimist, blind

Ros works as a teacher at the Eora College in Sydney, and has been involved in the disability consumer movement for many years. She is interested in the rights of Indigenous people with a disability and has been instrumental in keeping the National Indigenous Disability Network on the agenda for more than 10 years. Ros loves traveling, making jewellery, crossword puzzles, walking, researching technology, reading, and spending time with family, friends and her guide dog, Kira.

Ruth Cromer, 35, actor, advocate, office worker, Down syndrome

Ruth works at the head office of St George Bank as a clerk. She has worked as an actor, starring in the television series House Gang and has also appeared in two episodes of A Country Practice. Ruth has had roles in educational videos for people with an intellectual disability. In 1998, Ruth won the Medibank Private Arts Award: Young Australian of the Year Awards in 1998 for her work as an actor and as an advocate for people with Down syndrome.

Scott Kenney 38, administration officer, dancer, amputee

Scott dances salsa, waltz, rumba, quickstep, tango, jive and modern ballet using his wheelchair. He has performed throughout Australia and internationally and is currently the National Wheelchair Dance Sport Champion. Scott was also was a finalist in the World Wheelchair Dance Sport's Championships in Holland. He works as an administration officer in Byron Bay and is a bilateral below the knee amputee. View Scott in action

Young-Joo Byun 42, lands officer, dancer and artist, Deaf

Young-Joo Byun is a lands officer at the NSW Government Department of Lands. She is an advocate for people with a hearing impairment and has been Chairperson of NSW Public Sector Deaf and Hearing Impaired Employees Network since 2002. Young-Joo showcased traditional Korean dancing at the Deaf Arts Festival and Lunar Festival. In recognition of her work with the deaf and hearing impaired communities, she was awarded the first Australian-Korean Women's Day Award.