Warwick mum Lauren Killen chosen for Carers Queensland Inclusive Sport and Rec program

Despite the gradual loss of her sight, a Warwick mum’s love of her kids has spurred her determination to make sport inclusive and accessible for people with disabilities in regional areas. Read her inspiring story here.

She may be legally blind, but that hasn't stopped a Warwick mother-of-three from beginning her crusade to make sports more inclusive in the Rose City and regional Queensland.

Lauren Killen suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye condition and is classified as legally blind, meaning she cannot hold a driver’s licence.

Ms Killen’s condition is shared by her father and grandfather, and her three children also have inherited the condition.

The 38-year-old has been announced as one of nine people across the state to helm the Carers Queensland Inclusive Sport and Rec project - and she’s got some big ideas.

It’s a big project, with the goal to “grow activities for people with disability so they don’t miss out and can feel valued and connected” at a local level through guidance from people in various communities who live with disabilities.

Besides being a keen cyclist, Lauren Killen also is a skilled tennis player and equestrian (Photo: Supplied).

The Sport and Rec project aims to increase the representation and participation of people with disability in sport and recreation, both on and off the playing field, in the lead up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games with the nine people selected across the state instrumental in creating change.

Ms Killen was one of the people with a disability who the NDIS thinks “will be instrumental in helping the organisation to identify best practices in sport and recreation for people with disability and help remove barriers”.

For Ms Killen, sports have been an important part of her life since she was young, and growing up in Inglewood, she knows the importance of sports and recreational activities for regional Queenslanders.

“I used to ride horses but am unable to now, but I’ve just been accepted into the Australian blind and low-vision tennis program and they have a really inspirational to me as they want anybody to play tennis and are so inclusive,” Ms Killen said.

Lauren Killen has been a keen equestrian most of her life (Photo: Supplied).

“If I lived in Brisbane you can do all sorts of things with disabilities every week and there are lots of opportunities available, but in rural areas there aren’t sports where everyone can just join in.”

Following the end of her marriage five years ago, Ms Killen worked three jobs to support her children and their sporting lives, all the while her genetic conditioned worsened, before landing a job at a local law firm.

After her conditioned worsened and she was declared legally blind, Ms Killen said she grew frustrated and “angry” over her situation, but made the decision to focus on helping others in the community.

“I got over it and decided to shift my focus and wanted to use my energy to help other people and lead by example,” she said.

Part of her decision was on ensuring her children were able to play sport if their condition worsens.

Lauren Killen with children, Alivia, Mark and Logan, who all play sport at a representative level (Photo: supplied)

“My two boys play rugby league and basketball, and my daughter does netball and squash, and they have been constantly playing since they’re young and all play various sports at the representable level,” Ms Killen said.

“It occurred to me there would be a lot of other people are struggling too out there, that didn’t get their kids into sport because they thought it would be too hard or they’ve been turned away from it.”

Ms Killen said every single person needs something to look forward to, and there would be plenty of people that could have fun with sport but are unable to due to disabilities.

“My main hope with being in the program is to be a big role model and tell my story and inspire other people, that would be amazing.

“We also need to think of sport and recreation as an overall vital part of a person’s life and if someone's got a disability, I think that’s overlooked in their care plan, so we need to start thinking of it as a health and lifestyle thing- it’s something you can experience and look forward to.”

Lauren Killen playing tennis (Photo: supplied)

Lauren has some big plans for making sport inclusive in Warwick and is looking forward to pitching them to the NDIS.

“In order to create some change, leading up to the Paralympics we need to make Paralympians ‘real people,’ I’ll often see NRL players come to regional towns and schools, so I’d love to see Paralympians come to schools and tell their story and make them real to people,” she said.

“I’d love to facilitate a group and do a day of sport in regional areas, with no competitive aspect, so people can try out a sport if they’ve got a disability and solely have the social aspect without the commitment or need to travel to a bigger area.”

Recently, it was announced a world-first multimillion-dollar para-athletic training centre will be built in Brisbane, in time for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Out of the 4.3 million Australians with a disability, only one in four currently participate in sport – despite 75 per cent wanting to take part, with people like Ms Killen are crucial in making a difference and changing this figure.

“Everyone should have the opportunity to be involved in sport regardless of the barriers they have in life and something needs to be done to create inclusiveness and promotes the benefits to everyone, so that’s where I’m at right now,” Ms Killen said.