As schoolies across the country let their hair down during a well-earned rite of passage, north Queensland teenager Ethan Figg was determined not to miss out on the party.
The 18-year-old, who lives with an intellectual disability, is among a small group of graduates who have celebrated their end of school in an inclusive version of the decades-old ritual, run by a Townsville-based support group.
"The first day we did bike riding and swimming ... we played pool, did car racing and pin ball," Ethan said.
"I felt happy, loved and excited ... I can't believe we got our own T-shirts."
A one-of-a-kind celebration
It is the second year in a row organiser Melissa Harber has run the event, motivated by a lack of opportunities for young people with disabilities to come together and celebrate.
Since 2019, she has been operating Bentley Farm, a disability respite facility that supports more than 30 young people across regional Queensland.
"We thought everyone else is doing schoolies ... so why not?" Ms Harber said.
"We don't have alcohol or anything like that ... I just think it's a genuine fun event and everyone should be part of it."
Supported by a "grad squad" made up of their peers, Ms Harber has shared the experience through TikTok.
"The whole group were interacting, laughing; just having a ball," she said.
"I think everyone needs to celebrate; I'd love to see a few other places open up and offer the same fun at the end of the year."
A 'tricky' environment to navigate
The youth programs manager at Children and Young People with Disability Australia, Daniel Munter, says mainstream schoolies events can be an "isolating" experience for many young people with disabilities to navigate.
"A lot of spaces that are deemed to be accessible can sometimes present barriers that aren't foreseen by individuals who don't have physical disability access needs," Mr Munter said.
"If you're in really large, crowded spaces, that can create some really tricky sensory environments, which can deter a lot of disabled young people and create a barrier to access for individuals who need to utilise Auslan.
"At the end of the day, no one really wants to bring their carer or a family member on schoolies with them — the whole idea is to be independent."
Mr Munter says while some schoolies organisations work to create an equitable experience, greater consultation is needed to remove some of the social barriers.
"They should get a group of young disabled people together, have conversations and start actioning the things that they identify as important to them," he said.
"We need to ask them, 'What's important to them? How can we best support you?'"
Out in the 'big world'
After completing a "very tough" final year of school, Ethan admits he has mixed feelings about the road ahead.
"[I felt] a little bit sad for everything ... I want to go back to school but I'm in the big world now," he said.
But his schoolies celebration was the perfect way to end.
"I loved it ... I really want to go back again and be with all my friends and family," he said.
