The Spinal Research Institute (SRI) is proud to welcome photographer, filmmaker and accessible travel advocate Jaimen Hudson as our newest Community Ambassador.
Jaimen brings powerful lived experience, strong community connections, and a vast national and international audience that will help SRI continue to raise awareness of spinal cord injury (SCI) research, and connect more people living with SCI, along with their families and supporters, with the Institute’s work.
Research is strengthened when connected with the people it seeks to benefit. Ambassadors like Jaimen help build that connection, bringing lived experience and community voices into the conversation and helping more people understand the impact of spinal cord injury research, and the outcomes it can deliver in improving health, independence and quality of life for people living with SCI.
Jaimen’s story
Jaimen’s journey begins with a lifelong love of the ocean.
“I always wanted to be on it, in it, or near it.”
His childhood was full of adventure and discovery, set against the unique beauty and rugged coastline of Esperance, Western Australia, the place he calls home. His parents taught scuba diving, and surfing, diving and travel were central to his life from an early age.
In 2008, at just 17, a motorcycle accident left him with a spinal cord injury and quadriplegia. Activities he had always loved were suddenly out of reach, and he questioned whether the travel he had enjoyed growing up would remain possible.
A new chapter began in 2015, when Jaimen discovered drone photography and videography. Unsure whether he could operate a drone controller without hand function, he decided to give it a try. He soon found a passion for capturing Australia’s coastlines and marine wildlife from the air.
Today, his work has attracted more than 350 million views, sharing Australia’s natural beauty with people around the world. It has also taken him back into the ocean, swimming alongside some of the world’s largest marine animals, and motivated him to start advocating for inclusive travel
Through his photography, speaking engagements and the documentary Jaimen Hudson: From Sky to Sea, Jaimen shares a message that resonates well beyond the SCI community: life is fragile, and every day is worth making the most of. He also encourages greater understanding and respect for people living with disability, and for the natural environment he captures so beautifully.
“We only have one life… you might as well make the most of it while you’re here.”
Lived experience embedded in every stage of research
Jaimen’s perspective on the fragility of life, and on making the most of it, speaks to people of all abilities, and reflects why research that improves outcomes for people living with SCI matters to the whole community.
As a Community Ambassador, Jaimen will help extend the SRI’s reach, connect with people living with SCI, their families and supporters, and raise awareness of the potential of SCI research to improve lives.
His appointment reflects the vital role people with lived experience play in shaping spinal cord injury research. Their insights are essential to understanding the challenges people face, and to ensuring research responds to the priorities and needs of the community it aims to benefit.
SRI works to support researchers and clinicians embed lived experience in every stage of their research, from setting priorities and designing studies to delivering projects and sharing the results.
Welcome to the SRI community, Jaimen!
To explore Jaimen’s photography and accessible travel work, visit jaimen.com.au.
