Built on lived experience. Driven by a refusal to accept less.
Ability Advocates was founded by a mother who navigated a system that too often fails the people it exists to serve. That experience became a foundation - and a standard we hold ourselves to every single day.
Ability Advocates Launch Event - September 2023
Relive the official launch of Ability Advocates - a milestone moment for our community, our team, and the people we serve.
Message from Donna Davis - State Member for Parramatta
A message of endorsement from the NSW State Member for Parramatta, Donna Davis, for Ability Advocates and the community we serve.
Change the world for people with disabilities.
We envision a future where every person, workplace, and community accepts, includes, and celebrates people with disabilities - and where every person with a disability has access to the resources, support, connections, and community they need to reach their full potential. Our mission is to stand alongside people with disabilities and their families - providing services that empower, advocacy that challenges systems, and workplaces that are genuinely inclusive. We are committed to dismantling the barriers - structural, attitudinal, and systemic - that still stand in the way of full participation and self-determination.
Ethically Ambitious
We are passionately committed to doing what is right - and we continually raise the bar on what that means. Good intentions are not enough. We hold ourselves to the highest standard in every service, every interaction, every decision.
Trust
We extend trust by default - to the people we support, to our team, and to our partners. Trust is built through consistent action, honest communication, and following through on every commitment we make.
Human First
Every decision we make begins with the person - their goals, their dignity, their whole life. We see potential, not limitations. We design supports around people, not systems.
Outwit and Outgrit
When the system is complex, we find a way through. When things are hard, we stay. Creativity, resilience, and persistence are not optional for us - they are the standard.
Selfishly Diverse
We actively seek diversity - of experience, background, culture, and perspective - because it makes us sharper, more empathetic, and better at what we do. Inclusion is not a courtesy; it is a strategy.
Four pillars. One direction.
Every strategic decision we make is anchored to one of four pillars - ensuring that as we grow, we never lose sight of what matters most: the quality of our services, the strength of our partnerships, the wellbeing of our people, and the long-term sustainability of our mission.
Service Excellence & Outcomes
Deliver integrated, evidence-based services that achieve measurable outcomes and uphold quality, ensuring clients experience dignity, empowerment, and sustained success. We will do this by delivering integrated and seamless care pathways across all service streams, embedding a culture of clinical governance and continuous quality improvement, strengthening outcome measurement and reporting for client success, and expanding service capacity responsibly while maintaining compliance and safeguarding standards.
Partnerships & Impact
Build trusted partnerships and advocacy channels that expand access, influence systemic change, and create inclusive opportunities for people with disabilities. We will do this by building and sustaining strategic partnerships across health, education, community, and employment sectors, formalising and growing employer collaborations to advance inclusive hiring practices, and advocating systemic change and client rights through targeted initiatives and community engagement.
People, Culture & Innovation
Foster a capable, resilient workforce and a culture of learning, while driving innovation to improve services and remove barriers through creative solutions. We will do this by developing a skilled, resilient workforce supported by structured professional development and wellbeing programs, fostering a culture of learning, recognition, and collaboration across all teams, and driving innovation through piloting new service models and digital solutions that enhance accessibility and efficiency.
Sustainable Growth & Governance
Secure financial sustainability and compliance excellence, strengthening governance and brand presence to ensure long-term impact and trust. We will do this by diversifying revenue streams to ensure financial sustainability and resilience, strengthening governance, compliance, and risk management frameworks across all entities, and elevating brand presence and digital engagement to build trust and attract clients and partners.
Where we are headed - and why it matters.
Three deliberate years. Each milestone builds on the last - embedding what works, scaling what is needed, and consolidating our position as a trusted, sector-leading organisation for people with disability and their communities.
2025
Build & Systemise
2026
Scale & Integrate
2027
Consolidate & Influence
Leadership
Our management team leads Ability Advocates with purpose, expertise, and a shared commitment to the people we serve.
Chief Executive Officer - Ability Advocates Australia | Volunteer Director - Ability Advocates Foundation
Lorraine Salloum GAICD
Lorraine Salloum is a values-driven executive leader with deep expertise across government, not-for-profit, and community sectors - united by a single belief: every person with a disability deserves the freedom to live fully, contribute meaningfully, and be heard. As CEO and Executive Director of Ability Advocates Australia, she leads the strategic and operational direction of employment, allied health, and capacity-building services that open real doors for the people they serve. As Volunteer Director of the Ability Advocates Foundation, she champions free advocacy and community impact programs so no one has to navigate the system alone. Lorraine leads with purpose - building a future where disability is never a barrier to a life well lived.
Chief Finance Officer & Executive Director - Ability Advocates Australia
Assad Salloum CPA
Assad is an accomplished Certified Practising Accountant with a postgraduate degree in Accounting and more than two decades of experience across finance and corporate teams. He brings deep expertise in budget oversight, regulatory compliance, risk management, and long-term financial sustainability - having successfully managed multimillion-dollar budgets and delivered complex organisational projects with precision across high-stakes environments. As Chief Finance Officer and Executive Director of Ability Advocates Australia, Assad leads financial strategy, compliance, and long-term sustainability - ensuring strong, accountable stewardship of resources that empowers the organisation to deliver meaningful social impact.
Quality, Risk and Capability Lead
Anne-Charlotte Le Corno
Anne‑Charlotte brings extensive experience as a quality and compliance professional, with a strong track record across aged care and community services in both Australia and Europe. She has led service operations and quality audits, guiding multidisciplinary teams to deliver safe, compliant, and high‑quality support within complex, regulated environments - always keeping participants at the centre of everything. Formally trained in quality management, business administration, and project management, Anne‑Charlotte applies a structured, detail-driven approach to governance, safeguarding, and service excellence. Her expertise ensures that every aspect of Ability Advocates' operations consistently reflects our values and meets the highest standards of care.
Inclusive Employment Lead
Gregory Stoupe
Gregory is a Registered Counsellor and qualified Personal Trainer who brings a uniquely integrated approach to supporting people with disabilities, young people, and other vulnerable cohorts across Ability Advocates Australia. As Inclusive Employment and Counselling Lead, Gregory combines clinical counselling expertise with movement-based and regulation-focused methodologies to build emotional resilience, confidence, and functional capacity. He leads employment, wellbeing, and vocational programs - guiding multidisciplinary teams to deliver outcomes that reflect the goals, strengths, and lived experiences of every participant. His practice is evidence-informed and deeply human - blending therapeutic support with practical strategies that meet people where they are and empower them to move forward.
Allied Health Team
Our allied health team takes a genuinely multi-disciplinary approach - psychologists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, behaviour support practitioners and counsellors working collaboratively to deliver integrated, trauma-informed supports. Services are tailored to each person's goals, not their funding category.
Psychologist
Rocio Martinez
Registered Psychologist specialising in trauma, mental health, and complex presentations - delivering assessments, therapy, and recovery-focused supports with a compassionate, trauma-informed approach.
Psychologist
Hiba Nadeem
Provisional Psychologist with a Master of Clinical Psychology - drawing on CBT, ACT, DBT, and Schema Therapy to support children, adolescents, adults, and families.
Occupational Therapist
Jennifer Boutros
AHPRA-registered OT delivering functional capacity assessments and capacity-building supports across home, school, clinic, and community settings.
Speech Pathologist
Shirley Hassaratti
Speech Pathologist specialising in communication, language, literacy, and AAC supports - with a focus on practical communication for education, employment, and independent living.
Behaviour Support Practitioner
Gabby Douiehi
Behaviour Support Practitioner delivering evidence-based positive behaviour support for children and adults with Autism, ADHD, and developmental needs - working collaboratively with families and allied health teams.
Psychosocial Recovery Coach & Registered Counsellor
Dana Bazouni
Psychosocial Recovery Coach and Registered Counsellor with a trauma-informed, recovery-oriented practice - supporting people experiencing complex mental health and psychosocial challenges with strong cultural competence.
Registered Counsellor & Personal Trainer
Gregory Stoupe
Registered Counsellor and Personal Trainer contributing to Allied Health alongside his Employment Lead role - integrating movement, mental health, and therapeutic approaches to support holistic wellbeing and capacity building.
NDIS Practice Standards
Every service we deliver is aligned with the NDIS Practice Standards - setting a consistent floor for quality, safety, and person-centred practice across every team and service stream.
Independent Audit & Oversight
We undergo regular independent audits conducted by the NDIS Commission and NSW Department of Education. External oversight is not a formality for us - it is a commitment to you that our quality claims are verified, not self-assessed.
Dedicated Quality Leadership
Our Quality, Risk and Capability Lead provides ongoing oversight across all service areas - identifying improvement opportunities, managing risk, and ensuring our systems support safe, consistent outcomes.
Your Right to Dignity
Your dignity is not a condition of receiving support - it is the foundation of it. Every interaction with Ability Advocates is guided by respect for your autonomy, your choices, and your voice.
Your Right to Raise Concerns
If something is not right, you can tell us - and we will take it seriously. You can also contact the NDIS Commission directly and independently. Speaking up is your right, and we will never make it feel otherwise.
NDIS Commission - 1800 035 544
Need independent support? Call NDIS Commission at 1800 035 544 for external complaints.
Questions about Ability Advocates
Be part of the change.
Volunteer. Donate. Seek services. Partner with us as a workplace or NDIS provider. However you show up - you are welcome here and your contribution matters.