Denise Beckwith is the Diversity Consultant and Documentary Photographer with the Silent Tears multi-media exhibition. This exhibition explores the topic of violence that women with disability experience and also violence that causes disability amongst women. With 15-years disability advocacy experience, Denise has worked at the peak disability-rights organization People with Disability Australia (PWDA) and the New South Wales (NSW) Mental Health Advocacy Service (MHAS). Denise’s involvement in Silent Tears has enabled her to travel extensively between 2014 and 2017, both nationally and internationally, to contribute to the expansion of the exhibition. Denise believes artistic endeavors such as photography are a tool of social activism and advocacy, framing people’s stories, allowing them to share their insights, knowledge and experiences to create social change. In 2016, Denise spoke at side-events to promote Silent Tears at both the 60th Session of the Commission of the Status of Women in New York and United Nations Geneva at the 10th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Denise is currently a PhD student within the School of Social Sciences and Psychology at Western Sydney University. Denise is also a graduate Bachelor of Social Work Honors student. Denise’s honors thesis explores the silences within the social work curricula nationally, in relation to sexuality and disability content and the impact that this has on social workers’ abilities to support perspective clients with disability in relation to their sexuality and sexual expression.
