Sylvana Mahmic's interest in disability began 24 years ago, when her first child Abdul-Karim was diagnosed with a disability. Seeking to understand what lay ahead for her son, she completed post graduate study in special education and is the CEO of Plumtree. She is currently a doctoral candidate researching individualised funding in the early childhood intervention context.
Sylvana is an advocate for people with disabilities and their families and has served on over 15 reference and advisory groups in addition to five Ministerial appointments. She is currently the Vice President of Early Childhood Intervention Australia NSW Chapter and immediate past President. In 2013, she was appointed to the National Disability Insurance Scheme Independent Advisory Council.
Since 2009 Sylvana, her son and the extended family have been learning about how to use a self-managed package using individualised funding and she uses these experiences to shine a light on the potential of this approach for people with a disability and their families.
photo credit: Mana Ciuffardi
