Aaron Bailey

Beating the odds

Bachelor of Human Services

Griffith health graduate and educator Aaron Bailey uses his degree and life experience to improve learning outcomes and opportunities for students with disabilities and mental health challenges in Canada.

Aaron’s career has seen him travel extensively, taking him from the country’s southeast all the way to the far northwest in Yukon territory, where he has worked with students at different levels of the education system.

Using his own experiences as a person who grew up with multiple disabilities, he has helped students better understand their struggles, while finding unique strategies to draw on their strengths.

Aaron often recalls invaluable advice he received when he was in college, which he uses to inspire young students.

“In college, a support staff member said something to me that I have never forgotten to this day. It is the best advice I have ever heard from an educator, ‘I don’t care what you have, all I care about is how you learn.’”

Aaron has worked with students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder, as well as trauma and behavioural challenges and disabilities. He is a motivational speaker and advocate for people with disabilities.

This year, he plans to be a part-time stay at home father and will partner with a local organisation to provide presentations and peer mentoring to anyone struggling with ADHD, learning disabilities and mental health.