When I provide speech therapy services to people, I learn a lot about them and the details in their life. I feel that to build a strong working relationship and to build trust, that it goes both ways. So here I am, sharing my story.

I studied at the University of Newcastle and completed my Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours) in 2014. During my time at university, I volunteered for Cerebral Palsy Alliance. I supported people with their hydrotherapy programs and I ran an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) chat group for a gentleman who uses eye gaze technology.

Following my passion to work in the disability sector, I obtained my first job at Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC). After leaving ADHC, I headed towards the world of NDIS and worked for non-for-profit organisations. I began working for Samaritans and followed this with Ability Options until I decided it was time to take a leap of faith and developed Creating Opportunities Speech Pathology.

I grew up around Port Macquarie on a hundred-acre property with my six brothers and my mother. We had cows, ducks, chickens, peahens, horses, dogs and rabbits. When I was 11 my youngest brother was born with quadriplegic cerebral palsy and all the medical troubles that come with it. As a result, he had communication difficulties. He couldn’t talk and began exploring switch toys and voice output switches. Due to a limited number of options available and difficulties with funding, we found it difficult to access services in our local town. In addition, my mum and my brother spent a lot of time in hospital. When I was in High School, my family made the decision to move to Sydney. As our access to more specialised services increased, so did my brother’s opportunities to trial different communication device.

He started out with basic communication boards and explored various voice output devices. The day he was provided with the opportunity to tell us he loved us was the most incredible feeling and we started to learn more about just how clever he really is. It was around this time that I decided I wanted to be a speech pathologist and help more people like my brother to be given opportunities to more easily communicate. While my brother has had small communication successes, he still faces many challenges. These challenges have taught me just how huge the communication journey is and how vital the role of every person is.