When people first meet me in public, all
sorts of questions come into their minds
and usually out of their mouths. Well,
to formally introduce myself, my name is
Gretta and I'm a 32 year-old
woman from Western Sydney. I'm a writer,
motivational speaker, graphic designer,
workshop designer, and facilitator,
manager of my own care team, and a
business owner. And I'm also a non-verbal
wheelchair user, as I've had severe
Cerebral palsy since I was born. Growing
up with my disability did have its
challenges. However, when I think about
what I've achieved over the last two
decades, I really am amazed. I never
would have imagined that I would be
living by myself with the perfect care
setup and a university degree in my
hand. Once I got through the excitement
and shocked that I was offered this
incredible ambassador role, the main
opportunity I saw was to represent the
non-verbal, severely disabled sector.
There are still very real stigmas joined
to this group. I am hoping that this
opportunity will shed some light on the
integration of the disability enabled
community and especially our rights to
have mainstream relationships
because honestly these are the most
difficulties I struggle with surrounding
my disability. The thing I would say to
people who meet someone with any
disability is always assume they are
cognitively functioning. Even if they
display signs of intellectual
impairment, always acknowledge them in
the conversation and speak at their age
level.