15 July 2025

Meet Sam Lieberman, former Disability Liaison Officer (DLO) at Austin Health and a current patient.

Sam was born with a rare genetic muscle disease called Congenital Fibre Type Disproportion (CFTD), a lifelong condition that affects muscle strength and movement. From a young age, Sam became familiar with the challenges faced by people with disability when navigating the healthcare system — challenges that shaped not only his journey as a patient but also inspired his future as an advocate and a professional in this space.

At the heart of Sam’s story is the DLO program at Austin Health. The DLO program was established in Victoria in 2020 across 23 health services with the aim to improve access to healthcare for people with disability.

Sam started working at Austin Hospital in 2021 as a Consumer Partner, sharing his lived experience with our Disability Inclusion Committee, and when an opening came up in the DLO team for a DLO, Sam applied and got the job.

Through the DLO program, our DLO’s have advocated for and led new initiatives to improve access to care across Victoria.

For Sam, as a patient, knowing there was a dedicated service to help patients with disability navigate complex systems and communicate their needs made all the difference.

“The more I learnt about it, the more comfortable I felt to go to Austin Hospital as my preferred hospital. Knowing that there are people who care so deeply about this gives you a renewed faith in the compassion of the people who work there; and because I've worked there, I know that people who work there really care,” shares Sam.

“1 in 5 people in this country have a disability, and there are so many of those people who don't share this with their treating team, because they don't think there is a point. But there is a point. If you do tell them, you might get some extra help and you won’t be doing it all alone,” says Sam.

Sam continues to work in this space as an advocate, as his mum, Ann, has been since his birth. Ann recently released a book which offers a powerful insight for those who want to further understand the challenges faced by people with disability when accessing healthcare.

Sam’s story gives us a unique look into someone’s life who has experienced the DLO program as a staff member working to build the program and support others, and also as a patient accessing support.

If you have a disability, and you, your family or support network need assistance to access services at Austin Health, please reach out to our DLO team. You can self-refer to them or ask your care team to do this for you. For more information, visit our Disability Liaison page.