As a deaf person who has used Australian Sign Language (Auslan) since birth, Colin has had the opportunity to advance the human rights of deaf people and more broadly persons with disability for over 35 years by actively participating politically, professionally and socially in the disability sector.
He currently is serving a second term as President of the World Federation of the Deaf, and has represented WFD in international forums, most particularly the United Nations meetings relevant to the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). He also serves as a Chair of the International Disability Alliance (IDA), representing IDA's engagement with the UN System and other international human rights and international development organisations.
He has also addressed international and national conferences as a keynote presenter and has presented workshops on issues related to human rights for both the Deaf Community and persons with disability in more than 60 countries.