Indigenous Stories of Disability Take The Spotlight at The Australian Museum

An impactful exhibition showcasing the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disabilities, titled Unfinished Business, is currently taking place at the Australian Museum. 

The powerful exhibition uses personal accounts from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

“This exhibition reflects the Museum’s commitment to creating spaces that are culturally grounded and accessible. It’s critical to recognise that ableism and racism compound the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with disabilities — this intersection of oppression remains unfinished business,” said Laura McBride, a Wailwan woman and the Australian Museum’s Director, First Nations.

The Australian Museum on making art accessible

In hosting this powerful display of art representing genuine accessibility and inclusivity, the Australian Museum says they’ve done their due diligence in being mindful of accessibility. 

The event includes tactile panels, audio descriptions, Auslan interpretation, and materials in large print. Attendees have the option to use an Audio Description Tour and access audio of exhibition labels through QR codes available both during the exhibition and online.

The showcase premiered in Geneva at the Palais des Nations in 2013, and following its launch, the exhibit has traveled internationally. However, this is the first time accessibility has been the focus of the setup.

The accessibility additions are designed to ensure that individuals who are blind or have low vision, or are d/Deaf or hard of hearing, can fully participate in and connect with the stories being shared.

“In creating a compelling and accessible exhibition, the Australian Museum seeks to connect the broader community to the participants’ stories and experiences, helping to amplify the voice of First Peoples with disabilities across Australia,” said McBride.

Intersectional Indigenous stories in the spotlight

The Unfinished Business installation is created by Belinda Mason OAM, a human rights documentarian based in Sydney, alongside the Knierim brothers, Dieter and Liam. The creators worked collaboratively with the First Peoples Disability Network (FPDN) on the project.

The display features 30 personal experiences from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals with disabilities. The stories are shared through mixed-media works, combining 3D lenticular photography, a short film, and an installation that aims to highlight the diversity, resilience, and power of First Nations people with disabilities in Australia.

“Unfinished Business powerfully exposes injustices Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disabilities face while also celebrating their dignity, diversity, and leadership,” said McBride.

Another installation at the museum centres on the challenges and lived experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with disability. Titled Not Fit for Purpose, and is by Uncle John Baxter, a participant in the Unfinished Business exhibit, a reputable Latji Latji and Narungga Elder, and the Australian Museum’s 2025 Cultural Resident. In his show, he emphasises the gap between available resources and the lived experience of disabilities.

“As one of the participants in the Unfinished Business exhibition, my photograph and story is featured in the show. I am hoping my story can be an encouragement to others on how to continue moving forward to overcome those obstacles. What I’d like to have people take away from this exhibition is to be challenged, confronted, but enthused as well, that these steps – no matter how big or small, are achievable,” said Uncle John Baxter.

“We’re particularly honoured to have Uncle John Baxter as a cultural collaborator on this exhibition. His decades of advocacy for cultural identity, justice and inclusion, and his willingness to share his lived experience, embody the exhibition’s spirit of truth and respect. Visitors can also meet Uncle John at the exhibition to hear his reflections on culture, identity and resilience,” said McBride.

Similarly to Unfinished Business, Not Fit for Purpose is about some of Australia’s most pressing social justice issues, including the underrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with disabilities. Despite nearly half of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with a disability or long-term condition, their stories are rarely in mainstream culture. 

“Unfinished Business amplifies the voices of First Nations people with disability who have too often been unheard. Each portrait and story comes directly from the person pictured. The lenticular portraits bring these stories to life, creating a sense of movement and depth that mirrors the complexity of each individual experience,” said Mason.

Unfinished Business can be viewed with free entry at the Australian Museum — on daily 10am–5pm until 19 April 2026.