Dr Trudy Lin

International day of people with disability 2022

Advocacy, Inclusion and diversity / December 3, 2022

Thank you to our Premier Peter Malinauskas for inviting me to attend the state dinner celebrating the Adelaide 500 last night. It was wonderful to continue our conversations regarding the importance of oral healthcare access and pass on this T shirt in celebration of International Day of People with Disability today! This day creates the opportunity to raise awareness and improve understanding of people with disabilities, so we can build a more inclusive community. Many people are unaware that Australians with an intellectual disability die 20 years younger than the general population, and the leading cause of their premature death is lung disease caused by inhaling dental plaque. I don’t want Australians to be dying from something that is so preventable, so thank you Premier for helping to spread the message that, “Brushing teeth saves lives!”

#idpwd2022 #specialneedsdentistry #oralhealthadvocacy #disabilityinclusion

Tour of honour – upper spencer gulf

Advocacy, Keynote Speaking, Leadership / February 3, 2023

It was such a privilege to be a part of the Upper Spencer Gulf Tour of Honour. Thank you to Australia Day in South Australia and the sponsors who created the opportunity to bring oral healthcare advocacy and inclusion advocacy to hundreds of leaders, students and community members across Port Lincoln, Whyalla and Port Pirie. A special thank you to Justin Commons, CEO of the Whyalla City Council for the invitation to be a part of the Leadership Forum. The passion and dedication of the leaders with the common purpose of fostering belonging for young people in the community led to profound conversations, insights and ways to build upon community inclusion. It was an incredible demonstration of the magic that happens when people are brought together with a shared mission. It is a memory that will stay with me, and one I will use to fuel my passion to continue creating positive change into the future

#oralhealthadvocacy#tourofhonour#ausoftheyear#publicspeaking

Reflections after her Majesty’s funeral

Inclusion and diversity, The Queen's Funeral / September 25, 2022

It was an extraordinary honour to attend Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. I found the experience deeply moving, and will carry it closely for the rest of my life.

I felt a high intensity of grief seeing her Majesty’s coffin as it entered the Abbey, mourning that her Majesty, who had been a constant presence for so many, was no longer physically here with us. There were many moments which felt like a sensory overload, from the touching choir voices, to the respectful silence in which a pin drop could be heard, the seamless execution & attention to detail with precise timing & positioning of every person – all an outpouring of deep respect to honour an incredible woman devoted to the service of others. Akin to seeing the queue of people waiting to pay their respects before the funeral, I feel emotional processing the enormous impact of her Majesty: the efforts of every person who contributed to the service, the people across the world attending, the millions of people in the streets of London, the billions of people across the world watching – all representing her Majesty’s impact on the entire world. Her life is an incredible example of how much contribution a person can have from a young age, into older age and even their last days.

I have learnt through experiences of death of my family members, friends and patients, that even though they are no longer physically here with us, they still live within us in a different form. They live on through our memories, the stories we share, and the impacts they had on our lives. Her Majesty left a deep impact on the world, and even on the day of her funeral, she continues to deepen that impact, through extending an extraordinary honour for everyday Australians to be present –which has a profound impact on each of us, but also on the Australians who felt represented by us.

Through spending time connecting with the everyday Australians (sadly Chris was unable to join us), 2 things stood out to me: we are a diverse group of people from very different walks of life, ages, and cultures. Secondly, the underlying thread binding our contributions is empowering marginalised groups in our community. Dylan & I through advocacy for people with diverseabilities (my preferred term for disability), Helen, Kim & Danny assisting trauma survivors, Shanna’s support of geographically isolated communities, Saba helping migrants & refugees, Miriam-Rose through creating opportunities for Indigenous children, & Val helping people struck by illness or danger.

One of many things that makes me proud to be Australian is our value of everyone having a fair go, meaning equal opportunity & inclusion for every person, no matter their age, race, gender, culture, or diverseability. Every person matters & holds intrinsic value as a unique human being. I believe the diversity & support of marginalised groups of our everyday Australians is a great representation of Australia’s values of equal opportunity & inclusion. To stand alongside my fellow Australians and represent the values that make me proud to be Australian, I have Her Majesty to thank for this profound experience.

Thank you your Majesty, for the honour of attending your funeral, enabling everyday Australians to be representatives of the inclusion & diversity of our wonderful home.

Thank you for the opportunity to thank our Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for extending your invitation and express how much it meant to Australians that felt represented by my presence – Asian Australians, young females, Special Needs Dentistry specialists and oral healthcare professionals. It enabled discussions of equitable access to oral healthcare with our Prime Minister and avenues to action this.

Thank you your Majesty, for your dedication and being an inspiration to follow in your footsteps of contributing for many years to come.

Thank you your Majesty, for the impact you had on the world during your life, and your ongoing impact as you live on in our memories, stories, and through our lives. May you rest in peace.

Morning of the Queen’s funeral

The Queen's Funeral / September 25, 2022

Thank you to all who sent messages and have checked in to hear how things have been since arriving in London. Thank you for sharing your stories of what the Queen meant to you and the impact she had on your life. I feel so honoured that you have entrusted me with your stories, your heartfelt wishes and condolences. Your messages have compelled me to entrust you all with a very candid sharing of my experience in London so far. It feels daunting, because it leaves me feeling vulnerable, but I want to lead by example and encourage others to be brave and bold when it comes to sharing our true and authentic selves on social platforms – because sharing experiences is an important aspect of connecting understanding those around us, and understanding is how we build upon inclusion in our society.

I have found it to be an intensely emotional experience. As a person who tends to feel and absorb the emotions of those around me, I knew full well when I accepted this invitation that I would accepting a challenging responsibility to attend the funeral in person, but it has been more raw than I expected.

The day after we arrived, I walked alongside the queue of people waiting in line for hours to pay their respects to her Majesty with tears streaming down my face. The queue was such a strong visual representation of the impact that her Majesty had on so many lives. I looked at the faces of the people in the queue, older people who knew the Queen for so many years of their life, families with younger children, and I saw many Australians too. I could feel the deep love and respect they had for her Majesty, and could acutely feel the loss and grief they were processing. For hours afterward, I couldn’t shake a deep sense of sadness I felt that all these people couldn’t attend the funeral, and yet, I was. This further strengthened my resolve, as one of the representatives of everyday Australians attending the funeral today, to carry these heartfelt feelings with me, on behalf of all the people who cannot be there.

But there have also been lighter, more joyful moments which I will cherish – such as spending time with the other everyday Australians searching for gifts for our loved ones back home so we feel they have shared part of the experience with us, marvelling at how wonderful the weather has been during our stay, and the deep and profound conversations with the incredible Australians who have been along the journey with me –which I will share reflections on in due time.

No matter how challenging and the emotional cost of today is, I am forever grateful and humbled to be a small part of this momentous occasion and will strive to do my best to represent Australia – the country I am so proud to call home.

Invitation to attend the Queen’s Funeral

Advocacy, The Queen's Funeral / September 25, 2022

No words can explain how incredibly humbled I feel to be one of the 10 everyday Australians invited to attend her Majesty’s funeral. I’m not sure I can ever reconcile how I could have recieved this honour, but my hope is the focus is on less on me as an individual being chosen, and more of this honour belonging to all 25 specialists in Special needs dentistry in Australia. I am grateful for the opportunity this invitation brought for me to meet with our Premier and discuss importance of equitable access to oral healthcare due to its impact on general health, wellbeing and how essential it is for inclusion and participation in society – through being able to eat, speak and smile. 

It has been deeply profound and moving for me to see how the presence of us ordinary Australians at her Majesty’s funeral means so much to so many people. Since the announcement I have received many messages from different people who share an aspect of their identity with me, from fellow specialists in Special needs dentistry, oral healthcare professionals, Australians with an Asian background, and young females. Their messages saying they are proud to have me there, representing people like them, just as many people with disabilities feel proud to have Dylan Alcott representing them. I feel a strong sense of duty and responsibility to do my best to be a worthy representative of our country and its diversity, and hope to make Australia proud.

Thank you to every person who has sent messages and posted – I carry all of your wishes, deep respect and condolences for her Majesty with me as I pay respect to her incredible life of service and commitment to the community. 

Dr Trudy Lin lecture on when to refer Special Needs Dentistry patients

RACDS Emerging Young Lecturer Award

Keynote Speaking, Special needs dentistry / February 3, 2023

I was humbled to recieve the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons Emerging Young Lecturer Award at the Fine Edge of Dentistry conference in Melbourne after presenting my lecture “When to refer? A holistic understanding of patients with Special Needs” on 10th September 2022.

Thank you to the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons (RACDS), judging panel Ian Meyers, Rebecca Wong and Nicky Kilpatrick, and convenors Warren Shnider and Erin Mahoney for this honour, and for supporting young dentists to contribute to our profession not only as clinicians, but also as educators and building capacity as leaders. Congratulations to all the other participants for your valuable research and dedication to continual growth and learning.

Thank you to Colgate for sponsoring this award and creating this platform to share and raise awareness around Special Needs Dentistry in our profession.

Disability versus Diverseability

Advocacy, Inclusion and diversity, Special needs dentistry / February 3, 2023

As one of only 25 specialists in Special Needs Dentistry in Australia, it is my privilege to care for people living with disability. This includes people with various conditions affecting senses (sight, hearing, sight, smell), cognition (intellectual impairment), physical capacity (injury, movement disorders, chronic pain), psychosocial circumstances (mental health, homelessness, trauma) and medical health (cancer, autoimmune conditions).

I personally dislike the word “disability,” as it carries stigma and negative associations. The “DIS” in “disabled” focuses on what the individual is unable to do. My approach in caring for my patients, is focussing on what they CAN do, and believing in their ability to achieve what others believe is not possible. Many of my patients have broken through those limiting beliefs imposed on them, again and again.

I believe we should not define people by what they can or can’t do. We should define people by who they are: a unique human, who holds intrinsic value because there is no other human on the planet like them.

Language is a powerful tool in shaping our perceptions and understanding of the world. I prefer the term, “diverseability.” It focusses on the individual’s ability, and how their abilities are different and diverse – and this diversity that enriches our society, is so beautiful and valuable.

I’ve connected with many different individuals who have lived experience with disability and there are differing opinions around preferred terms. Some individuals with acquired disabilities prefer the term “disabled” – as they feel it reflects their status when comparing to their abilities prior to their condition. While individuals who had their conditions since birth prefer the term “diverseability” because they don’t believe they were born “disabled,” or less able, just diverse and different. As such, I am not necessarily advocating for the language to change, but sharing this to open a new perspective and different way of understanding and experience of the word “disability.”

If this has resonated with you, I encourage you to be bold and share your thoughts too. Each conversation brings greater understanding, and greater understanding of those different to ourselves is how we build a more inclusive society.

World Multiple Sclerosis Day

Advocacy, Inclusion and diversity / June 10, 2022

I loved listening to the stories of people living with Multiple Sclerosis on World MS Day (30th May). Many Multiple Sclerosis symptoms are invisible – this is the case for many disabilities, including those related to learning, attention, mental health, and chronic pain.

I believe in supporting and empowering people to speak up about their lived experiences of disability, to make their disabilities more visible. We need to listen and seek to understand their experiences to become more aware of how we can treat others and offer support. Let’s continue to break down the stigma and systemic barriers against disability in our society – because every person has the right to live their life to their full potential.

Thank you to MS SA and NT and Multiple Solutions for your dedication toward building a more inclusive society.

Limestone coast Tour of Honour

Advocacy, Inclusion and diversity / June 5, 2022

It was so wonderful to be part of the Tour of Honour on the Limestone coast last week, speaking to students, teachers, community members and leaders. I spoke on inclusion, oral healthcare, and shared the stories of the incredible people I have cared for as their Special Needs Dentistry Specialist. I continue to be astounded by the profound impact that words can have people’s lives. People came up to me saying, they were moved to tears by my stories, they are inspired to tell others, they now understand and see things differently, there were even high school students who said they want to be a dentist! I’m here to make the biggest impact I can, and so since speaking up is making a difference, that is what I will continue to do. I encourage you all to do the same – don’t underestimate the impact your words can have too.

Forum at University of SA
Mayor of Mount Gambier
Mount Gambier High School
Tennison Woods College

Cerebral palsy

Inclusion and diversity / April 30, 2022

I have a patient, Sally (name changed for confidentiality), who has cerebral palsy. Sally has a great sense of humour and larger than life personality. She brings so much joy and energy into every room! But when people see her wheelchair, they will often ignore her and speak to her carer instead of directly to her.

Cerebral palsy is a condition that affects a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. It can lead to involuntary movements and poor balance, which may require the use of a wheelchair.

Many people with cerebral palsy do not have an intellectual impairment. In fact, I believe many have higher than average intelligence, because of their adapability and tenacity. They learn how to reach the same understanding of language, verbal and non verbal cues, and understand the world around them, in an education system and environment that puts up many barriers and isn’t designed with physical impairments in mind. So for them to reach the same level of understanding and communication of our language that people without physical impairments do, it shows how incredibly capable they are.

My life has been so enriched from connecting with people with cerebral palsy. The next time you see a person in a wheelchair, I encourage you to smile and say hello directly to them, instead of the person with them. We can all create a more inclusive world, one smile, and one conversation at a time!

I love this powerful and witty video and article by Janelle McMillan, she shares a very similar experience to Sally and reminds me so much of her! She also has cerebral palsy and is a fantastic advocate for non-verbal people to have their voices heard: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-28/janelle-mcmillan-non-verbal-on-being-understood-cerebral-palsy/101021122?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web