Kelly Vincent youngest woman elected to an Australian parliament in 2010 – also first on a disability platform

Kelly Vincent at her specially designed desk as a member of the South Australian Legislative Council.

Kelly Vincent was the first Australian politician elected on the platform of rights for people with a disability, in 2010. Vincent, at 21, also was the youngest woman in an Australian parliament when elected and the first South Australian parliamentarian to use a wheelchair.

Vincent, who represented the Dignity for Disability Party (South Australia ), had cerebral palsy and attended parliament in a wheelchair as a member of the upper Legislative Council where she had a specially designed desk and a red light to indicate to the president that she was "standing" to speak. Wheelchair access toilets and ramps were also installed at Parliament House.

 Vincent was a playwright and actress before being elected to parliament. She wrote and appeared in several productions for No Strings Attached, a company dedicated to people with disabilities. Also fluent in the French and Spanish, she began language studies at university after Year 12 at school before returning to writing plays.

Dignity for Disability Party’s upper house vote doubled from 0.6% to 1.2% at the 2010 state election. Vincent was listed second on the party's upper house ticket but received the preferences of first candidate Paul Collier who died of a brain haemorrhage 11 days before the election.

Vincent was a member of parliamentary committees including the social development committee, access to and interaction with the justice system for people with disabilities, disability services funding, electoral matters in South Australia, joint committee on the operation of the Transplantation and Anatomy Act 1983, access to the education system for students with disabilities, and the joint committee on matters relating to elder abuse.

Vincent was defeated in the 2018 state election, although the Dignity Party increased its vote. She blamed the introduction of optional preference voting for her defeat.