EPISODE 14
Paul Simmons
In this episode of What Are We Drinking?, Rachel sits down with Paul Simmons, CEO of Ability SDA, for a deep dive into the realities of Specialist Disability Accommodation, the future of disability housing in Australia, and the challenges providers are facing within the NDIS landscape.
Paul shares his journey from economics and healthcare banking into retirement villages, before making the pivot into SDA alongside his wife Angie. Together, they built Ability SDA with a focus on creating beautiful, functional housing that genuinely improves quality of life for people with disabilities.
The conversation explores everything from construction costs, NDIA funding challenges, choice and control, and the saturation of poor-quality SDA stock, through to the importance of aesthetics, accessibility, and future-proofing disability housing.
Paul also opens up about working alongside his wife, raising three daughters while building a business together, and why creating meaningful spaces for people matters so deeply to him.
There’s also an incredible story behind his drink choice — Ink Gin — involving sugar cane, entrepreneurship, Margot Robbie, and a reminder that sometimes the opportunity you never expected becomes the thing that changes everything.
This episode is honest, insightful, passionate, and packed with real conversations about where the disability sector is headed.