James rewrites the narrative on disability and representation

When James Parr woke up from surgery at 21, his life changed – but not in the way people expected.

“I remember everyone’s attitudes around me, the doctors’ and the nurses’, instantly changed,” James recalls. “I kept hearing people say they felt sad for me and sorry for me, and I didn’t really connect with that.”

James is a proud Wiradjuri man, an award-winning model, disability advocate and Ambassador for International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) 2025. 

IDPwD is a United Nations observed day held on 3 December each year. It aims to promote community awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability. 

For James, being an IDPwD Ambassador is about challenging stereotypes and rewriting the narrative of what it means to live with disability.

James says the lack of representation in mainstream media reinforces harmful assumptions – visibility matters.

“Having more people with disability in media and mainstream spaces is probably the most important,” he says. 

He remembers his first runway show vividly. There was a young boy in the audience. “He was using a prosthetic, and to be able to watch him and his reaction when he saw me up on the screen, he probably had never seen someone like him before.”

James hopes for a future where people with disability are simply shown living life, “just there as people.”

You can watch more IDPwD Ambassador videos, including accessible versions, at: www.idpwd.com.au/about/our-ambassadors.