Samantha Prior, Marketing and Community Engagement Partner at Empowered Liveability, spoke with Empowered Housing’s Lived Experience Expert, Dyson Stevens, about injury, independence and building an accessible home with his partner, Emily.
Finding the right home can be life-changing, particularly when accessibility is essential to living safely and independently.
As someone who has experienced the Specialist Disability Accommodation journey myself, I understand how overwhelming the search for suitable housing can feel. Information is not always easy to find, the process can be difficult to navigate, and it can take time to find people you trust to support you.
Dyson Stevens faced many of these same challenges after a football injury left him a C4 quadriplegic. After discharging from hospital, Dyson lived in his parents’ garage while searching for a way to regain his independence and build a future with his partner, Emily.
With the support of the Empowered Liveability’s Empowered Housing team, Dyson and Emily were eventually able to build their own SDA home – a place that supports Dyson’s accessibility needs while reflecting who they are as a couple.
Today, Dyson brings his experience to his role as Empowered Housing’s Lived Experience Expert, helping others understand what may be possible through accessible housing and home ownership.
Samantha: Can you tell us a little about yourself and your life with Emily?
Dyson: My name is Dyson, and I’m a C4 quadriplegic. I had my accident five years ago while playing football for my local club, the Melton Bloods.
I have a beautiful fiancée, Emily, and I feel incredibly lucky to have her by my side. She chose to stay with me through everything, and her support has meant the world to me.
Emily has played a huge role in helping me rebuild my confidence, overcome adversity and become the man I am today.
Samantha: How did you first learn about Specialist Disability Accommodation? Was the information easy to understand?
Dyson: I came across SDA almost by fluke.
I was spending my days sitting in Mum and Dad’s garage, searching for ways to live more independently and trying to work out what my future could look like.
In the beginning, the information around SDA was really unclear. It took me years to find a reliable company that I could trust. Looking back, I wish the process had been much easier to understand from the start.
Samantha: What was the experience of building your own SDA home like?
Dyson: The build process was amazing. We were able to go through it in much the same way as anyone else building their own home would.
One of the biggest surprises was seeing how the house gradually became a real home. It doesn’t feel like a disability house—it simply feels like our home.
It has been designed to meet my accessibility needs, but it also suits our lifestyle and reflects the life Emily and I want to share together.
Samantha: Did you and Emily have to compromise on many of your design ideas?
Dyson: The process allowed us to create a home that worked for both of us.
Accessibility was obviously an important part of the design, but it didn’t mean the home had to feel clinical or institutional. We were able to make choices that supported the way I move around the house while still creating a comfortable and welcoming space for us as a couple.
That was really important. We weren’t just building accessible accommodation; we were building our future home.
Samantha: What was it like finally receiving the keys?
Dyson: Moving into our home completely changed my quality of life.
I’m incredibly grateful to have my own space again and to be able to return to a routine. Having a home of my own has given me privacy, independence and the opportunity to return to the workforce.
It has brought so many positive changes into my life.
Samantha: How has living in an accessible home affected your everyday life?
Dyson: Living in a home where everything is accessible and easy to move around has been incredible. The difference it has made is difficult to put into words.
Before moving, I was living in a garage. Simply being able to shower inside my own home, rather than having to go outside every day to use a portable bathroom, has made a huge difference.
It’s often the everyday things that have the greatest impact on your independence and quality of life.
Samantha: What has it meant to share the home with Emily while also having the support you need?
Dyson: It has allowed Emily and me to live together as a couple in a home that supports both our relationship and my needs.
The house gives me room to move around safely and allows my support team to assist me when required, while still giving Emily and me privacy and a place that belongs to us.
That balance is incredibly important. Our home supports my disability, but our disability doesn’t define the home.
Samantha: Did working with Empowered Housing and Empowered Liveability make the journey easier?
Dyson: Working with Empowered has been a great experience.
The team made the process much easier by explaining each step and helping me navigate the NDIS. Whenever I had a question or needed support, they were only ever a phone call away.
Having a team that genuinely cared and was there to guide me throughout the journey made a real difference.
A Home That Creates Possibility
Dyson’s story demonstrates what accessible housing can make possible when it is designed around the person who will call it home.
His house provides more than accessible rooms and features. It has given Dyson and Emily privacy, security, independence and the opportunity to plan their future together.
It has also enabled Dyson to return to the workforce and use his experience to support others beginning their own housing journey.
As Empowered Housing’s Lived Experience Expert, Dyson understands that people may come to the SDA and home ownership process feeling uncertain about what is available to them. His story is a powerful reminder that the right information, guidance and housing solution can transform not only where someone lives, but how they live.
For Dyson and Emily, their SDA property is not a “disability house.”
It is simply their home.
If you’d like to explore building and owning your own SDA property reach out to the Empowered Housing team by following this link: Empowered Housing. Here you can fill in the Empowered Housing Enquiry Form and one of our incredible team members will be in touch with you. You can also call the office directly on 1300 974 912.
Let us help you start living your best life in a home that meets your needs.
