At the Destination Sydney Surrounds South Conference at The Pavilion in Kiama last week, Daniel Hillyer offered a perspective many of us may not often hear.

Daniel is the co-founder of RoboFit, Australia’s first and only rehabilitation centre combining neuro-controlled exoskeleton therapy services alongside conventional physiotherapy and exercise physiology.

He is also a quadriplegic, the result of a life-altering spinal cord injury following a balcony collapse in 2010.

At the time, Daniel was working as a chef. Doctors told him he would never move anything below his neck again.

But with the support of his wife Maryanne, and years of determination and global research, he proved otherwise.

Together, they co-founded RoboFit and brought groundbreaking Japanese exoskeleton technology made by Cyberdyne to Australia.

His message in Kiama was clear. If we want inclusive design, we need to involve the people who live with access barriers every day.

RoboFit supports people with spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, stroke, MS, brain injuries and beyond. With clinics in Sydney, Wollongong and Brisbane, the service attracts international clients.

Daniel believes our local beaches are an example of the issue of a lack of accessibility for all.

Some have beach mats, but they often stop short of the water. He has seen families use them as picnic spots rather than as mobility pathways.

Overseas, he has witnessed much better design, including transfer stations and winch systems that allow wheelchair users to enter the surf independently and return to shore with dignity.

Despite offering to advise councils, Daniel says those conversations rarely happen.

“I’ve asked council workers to try my chair, just once, to understand how steep some footpaths are. I was told no. Workplace safety.”

And while advocating for accessible design, he also notes a deeper problem. “I attend a lot of networking and industry events,” he said. “I’m always the only person in a wheelchair.” That absence is its own kind of message.

Daniel’s insights are now helping shape a growing campaign for universal access in Kiama.

Supported by elite athlete John Maclean, local wheelchair surfer Mick Johnson and several local councillors, the campaign has one clear goal: to make public spaces accessible to all ages, all abilities, all the time.

Daniel is not asking for special treatment. He is asking to be part of the conversation.