Rewrite the Rules is operated by Simone Pearce

Simone has a unique combination of experience and skills that places her in a position to understand the intersection between sport, discrimination and disability. She has a Masters in Law, and has submitted a PhD titled ‘Towards Guidelines for the inclusion of Children with Disability in sport: How framing the treatment of children with disability in competitive sport as discrimination leads to true inclusion.’

Simone is well versed with the para sports system and structures, and the opportunities for and treatment of children with disability in school sport, as the mother of a child with a disability who, at the age of 15 years, has taken part in sport for many years and is now on the National Development pathway for two sports.

Simone has level 2 coaching qualifications in athletics and netball. She coaches large squads of athletes in athletics, including children with disability, many of whom have reached National level. She has competed at varying levels in various sports for more than 40 years.

Simone has resided on the Sunshine Coast for more than 45 years and has significant networks in the Regional Sport community

Simone has chaired Sunshine Coast Sports, focused on the development of grassroot sports, and is currently a director of Sunshine Coast 2032 Ltd, a community organisation leveraging opportunities from the Paralympics and Olympic Games. She is also a Director with Disability Sport Australia. These positions are a culmination of various directorships and board positions in sporting organisations from grass roots to national level.

Simone’s work has included leading the research in a project for Little Athletics Australia, and another project with Triathlon Australia changing the way the sport is provided for athletes with disability to be truly inclusive.

In 2022 Simone worked voluntarily with district school sports conveynors to identify deficiencies in the way sport is provided for students with disability and to trial strategies to address those deficiencies. Making small changes to a district athletics program in two districts in the region saw an increase of 300% in the participation of students with disability.