The work of Kerri Colgate and Cheryl Taylor at the Champion Centre.

• The group offers Indigenous people with disabilities cultural connections
• Organisers say the program is filling a major gap in disability services 
• It’s hoped the concept can be taken up by mainstream NDIS providers

A yarning group in Perth’s south-east is helping Indigenous people connect through kinship. (ABC News)

Led by Noongar Yamatji woman Kerri Colgate, the three-hour sessions in Perth’s south-east offer people living with disability a way to connect with each other and to culture. 

It is a seemingly simple concept, which is filling a major gap in the disability sector. 

“I wouldn’t necessarily say there’s a lack of good services,” Ms Colgate said.

“I think it’s probably more a limited choice in terms of where they can go to ensure that the cultural positioning of an individual and their family can be supported fully.” 

The simple art of connection

Painting, guest speakers and excursions fill the group’s itinerary, but the simple art of connection is what makes Ms Colgate’s service so unique. 

Ms Colgate’s mother Cheryl Taylor is a Noongar elder at the Champion Centre in Seville Grove, where the yarning group meets. 

By Grace Burmas ABC News