Stella Young was born on 24 February 1982 in Stawell, Victoria, with osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease).
Stella Young was born on 24 February 1982 in the rural Victorian town of Stawell, Australia. She was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic condition also known as brittle bone disease, which causes fragile bones and resulted in her using a wheelchair for most of her life.
Growing up in regional Victoria as a person with a visible physical disability shaped her early understanding of the barriers, both physical and attitudinal, faced by disabled people in Australian society. Her childhood experiences of exclusion and low expectations from others would later become central themes in her comedy, journalism, and activism.
Young's birth and upbringing in a country town, away from the more visible disability advocacy networks of major cities, meant she had to actively seek out community and representation, eventually becoming one of Australia's most prominent disability rights voices. Her later work consistently drew upon these formative experiences of growing up disabled in a world designed for non-disabled people.