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“I think the most important thing, for me anyway, about having the National Assistance Card in my wallet is that gives me confidence. Just to know that someone might find it if I have a seizure. Or, with my dodgy balance and slow speech people often assume that I’m drunk. So, I can pull it out if challenged. It just gives me peace of mind knowing that I have it to hand.”
Paul Pritchard is a pioneering UK mountaineer and award-winning author and filmmaker. After sustaining a severe brain injury on Tasmania’s Totem Pole, he has turned recovery into opportunity, sharing stories of resilience, diversity, and inclusion. Paul became a National Assistance Card holder and Ambassador in 2022.
Paul Pritchard is a pioneering UK mountaineer who has climbed from Patagonia to the Himalayas. In 1998, while scaling Tasmania’s Totem Pole, a falling boulder caused a severe brain injury, leaving him hemiplegic. He relearned to walk, speak, and live independently, turning recovery into opportunity.
Winner of numerous international awards for his books and films—The Totem Pole, Doing It Scared, Lowest To Highest—Paul shares stories of resilience, diversity, and inclusion. He has summited Kilimanjaro, cycled to Everest, and led disability-inclusive expeditions. Today, Paul inspires as an educator. He serves on the board of Disability Voices Tasmania and the Hobart City Council Access Committee. Paul is also a ‘human book’ at the Hobart Human Library.
Paul became a National Assistance Card holder and Ambassador in 2022. Paul’s use of the National Assistance Card features in his film Larapinta End to End.