Eight years ago, Jesse Noonan was coaching two brothers at a Gold Coast skatepark when their sister Matilda rolled up in her wheelchair. He got a drill out of his car, put some holes in a skateboard and bolted it under her walking frame. By the end of that session she was going down ramps.

That afternoon became Skate Advantage, Jesse's adaptive skateboarding program. He talks with Simon about the custom frame and harness his team built with a friend who fabricates hot rods and a community grant, how one skater went from bearing no weight at all to standing on his own, and why the skatepark crowd went from looking away to coming over to say hello. He also gets into the Just Roll With It festival, Matilda Wilson's pro model board, and what it would take to start a program like this in your own city.

His advice for anyone thinking about it: rig up something simple, see who shows up, and talk to people with disabilities about what they want.

ABOUT JESSE NOONAN

Jesse Noonan is a professional skateboarder and coach from the Gold Coast, Australia, and the founder of Skate Advantage. He's been skating since he was eight. Skate Advantage runs adaptive sessions with community organizations and private clients, using custom-built frames that support skaters over the board so they can ride the park, rails included. Jesse also runs Just Roll With It, an all-abilities skate festival that drew around 2,000 people this year.

🔗 Connect with Skate Advantage

Website: skateadvantage.com.au

Instagram: instagram.com/skateadvantage

Email: hello@skateadvantage.com.au

🔗 Follow Accessible Future Podcast

YouTube: youtube.com/@AccessibleFuture

Instagram: instagram.com/accessible_future

Facebook: facebook.com/people/Accessible-Future/61586380868685

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/accessible-future

Email: accessiblefuturepod@gmail.com

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome and the Flute Man story

02:01 What an accessible future looks like to Jesse

04:44 How Skate Advantage started with a walking frame

10:28 How the adaptive skate frame works

16:22 From awkward stares to proud skateboarders

19:31 Sport, therapy, or both?

21:33 Just Roll With It and Matilda's pro model board

26:15 How to start an adaptive skate program in your city

29:52 Outro