Rikki Chaplin

Preferred pronouns: he/him

Rikki has been president of Deafblind Australia since 2019. He was born with Norrie disease, a genetic condition in which children are born totally blind and acquire hearing loss later in life. Rikki lives with moderate to severe hearing loss and total blindness. He is passionate about the need to facilitate inclusive communication for all and has worked in a variety of social work and human service roles since 2003. He embraces technology to be able to participate fully in occupational and social pursuits and is dedicated to raising awareness of the needs of all people who are deafblind. He works as an NDIS appeals advocate for an advocacy organisation in Brisbane and is an accomplished musician who performs regularly.