Jessica Smith OAM PLY is a remarkable Australian Paralympic swimmer and motivational speaker who’s dedicated to advocating for diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.
Her journey began with challenges that many might see as obstacles, but Jessica transformed these into opportunities for growth and empowerment.
Jessica’s story
Born missing her left arm, Jessica faced adversity early on. At just 18 months old, she suffered third-degree burns covering 15 percent of her body, which left her with permanent scars on her neck and chest.
“I never saw myself represented in mainstream media growing up. I never saw a girl with a disability in the magazines or on television portrayed in a positive way. There was nothing beautiful nor exhilarating about having a disability, because when I was born, the world looked at disability through a medical lens.”
While society often perceived this as her biggest weaknesses, with the unwavering support of her parents, Jessica saw things differently.
“What the society perceived to be my biggest weakness, I saw as my biggest strength,” Jessica reflects. “I’ve learned how to adapt. I found my own way of doing things. But, you see, that’s the thing about people with a disability. We’re some of the most resourceful, creative minds, design thinkers with growth mindsets, because we have to be in order to fit into society.”
This mindset fuelled her determination to represent her country, joining the Australian Paralympics team in 2004, and her determination did not waver Over seven years, she proudly represented Australia, culminating in her competing in the 2004 Paralympic Games.
At the age of 21, Jessica faced a new battle with depression and eating disorders, which led to her early retirement from swimming. Despite these challenges, she turned her life around and emerged as a beacon of self-acceptance.
“Body image is such a complex term, and it’s often very misunderstood,” Jessica says. She also encourages conversations that extend beyond beauty and aesthetics, advocating for a broader understanding that includes race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, mental health, and how these factors impact how we think and feel about our appearance. “I think once we open the conversation and dialog up to include those components, then we’re going to start to see more profound changes.”
Since her retirement, Jessica has passionately dedicated herself to advocating for diversity and inclusion on a global scale. She shares her valuable experiences in schools, universities, workplaces, and even at the United Nations, where she is known for fostering trusting relationships and commitment to integrity and respect. Holding a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and having completed executive studies in Gender Equality at INSEAD, Jessica skillfully blends her academic research with personal insights. This unique combination enables her to develop strategic initiatives that empower individuals to navigate the intricacies of disability and inclusion — and her impact is truly powerful! Recently, she has been exploring how advanced technology and AI can integrate with robotics and prosthetics, contributing bringing valuable insights to the ongoing discussions about accessibility.
“I’ve spent my entire life trying to make sense of the inequalities of this world. I’ve dreamed of a world that practices tolerance, acceptance and inclusivity — a world that surely I, and the other 1.3 billion people [living with a disability], deserve. Stereotypes, stigmas, discrimination are all enduring challenges that people with a disability face every single day.
“In order to live in an all-inclusive, accessible society, we need to shift the way we view disability, and we need to ensure that disability is included at every stage of thought, creation, design and implementation, from an industry perspective, but also socially,” Jessica says.
With over 20 years of experience in health promotion and mental health, Jessica is also a talented author. She has penned the critically acclaimed Just Jessica series, a collection of children’s books that celebrate disability and acceptance. Her mission goes even further with the “1 Million Children, 1 Million Books” initiative, where she aims to share her stories with children around the globe, fostering pride in diversity and highlighting the beauty of being different.
After more than two decades training and advising Governments, NGOs, policy makers and organisations about the importance of accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities, Jessica is now a freelance disability inclusion consultant, with global clients spanning from Australia to the Middle East, Europe and the USA.
Her outstanding advocacy work has been widely recognised, with awards including the ‘Emerging Leader’ at the Australian Government Body Positive Image Awards, the Pride of Australia Medal, and in 2019, she received Australia’s highest honour, the Medal of the Order of Australia.
As Jessica puts it, “Disability itself is so wonderfully diverse, from the physical, visible disabilities to all the disabilities that we can’t see.” She emphasises the importance of kindness and respect in addressing societal perceptions of disability, believing that everyone can contribute to creating a more inclusive world for the eight billion people who are living with a disability.
“I’ve been fortunate to work on a lot of things throughout my career, but my focus now is sort of educating society about the benefits and the beauty in difference, rather than seeing that as something that you know, is so stigmatised,” Jessica says.
We’re thrilled to have Jessica in our corner! Her powerful voice is helping people across the world to challenge societal norms and encourages everyone to recognise strength in diversity and the importance of compassionate inclusivity.