Dear All,

This is to share a stroy from one of my friends. This story will encourage other persons with disabilties, particulary for youth with disabilties to grasp their opportunity for their future development. We should never give up our effort.

Hello I’m Rodney Mills. I’m a 30 year old man with Autism. I have lived an amazing life that has seen me go from having no voice to becoming the empowered person that I am today.

Having a voice is essential for everyone irrespective of whether you have a disability or not. In my case it’s in these typed words that you’re hearing my voice. I use facilitated communication to type these words. This involves a facilitator holding my arm or shoulder to help me to better use my arm to type.

Hi,

i have progressed with my academic education and i am now enrolled to study a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning through Curtin University by distance education. I hope to continue to do a phD or pursue a future carreer in urban & regional planning.

My name is Korey, and I have cerebral palsy, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, depression and anxiety. I live in the Blue Mountains, NSW, with my partner. I am currently studying natural science part-time at the University of Western Sydney.

My name is Sara.  I am 22 and have just completed a Bachelor of Arts degree studying with Griffith University though Open Universities Australia.  I am vision and hearing impaired and also have diabetes type 1.My hearing difficulties were evident from a young age and by the age of 8 I was wearing both hearing aids and glasses.  A year later I was diagnosed with diabetes and many, many tests to find any relationship between these conditions led to the diagnosis by a neurologist of a rare condition called Wolfram Syndrome, a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system.&

Well, I was born a long time ago when no-one knew what cerebral palsy really was and local doctors (Townsville, Qld) would scratch their head at my strange way of walking and talking, and once, when I could not keep still for a hospital nurse who was trying to treat an injury, I was abused for being naughty. While I did attend a kindergarten, the state-school system refused to accept me - so be it, I just had to get on my own way. When I eventually learned to ride a bike, I was able to earn a few shillings delivering papers (it was a particular area of Townsville that no-one else wanted).

My name is Todd Winther, I am 26 years old, and live on the Sunshine Coast. I live my life more or less as if I’m not disabled. It is easier said than done given the fact that I am confined to an electric wheelchair and can’t manage my own personal care. Life is challenging because of this, but not difficult. Frankly, I can’t even begin to imagine what difficulty is, because my life is not difficult.