I am a young multi-media journalist from London and I have cerebral palsy. I am all about changing people’s perceptions about disabilities. I want to share positive stories and spread the word about what disabled people CAN do, not what they can’t do.

Here are a few ways my disability affects me:

– I am a wheelchair user. I can’t walk unaided, so I walk with a K-Walker and crutches. However I use the wheelchair when I’m out and about.

– It’s not so easy for me to negotiate certain things like public transport – it always takes extra time and planning.

– Venue accessibility can sometimes be a barrier in certain places.

So yes, when I go out it takes substantial planning, including phoning transport companies and venues, but my carers, family and myself have been doing it for so long that it all just rolls off the tongue now.

Apart from that I try and not let my disability get in the way. I like to think I have a positive attitude to living life to the best of my ability.

I love being a journalist because it’s never boring – it’s non-stop and it keeps me on my toes!

At 19 years old I joined a training programme at the creative arts charity Heart n Soul (www.heartnsoul.co.uk), called the Media Team. I learnt a range of different media skills, from filming and photography to radio and blogging.

Since then I have become a Trustee on Heart n Soul’s board and have been an interviewer on one of Heart n Soul’s biggest projects to date, an oral history archive to mark their 30th birthday, called The Big 30 (www.thebig30.com). The archive is now on its way to a major research organisation, the Wellcome Trust.

I have also worked alongside organisations such as Sound Connections, Goldsmiths University, Southbank Centre and BBC Radio 4 to make short films and radio documentaries. Through Heart n Soul’s digital music project, SoundLab, I also ran a digital workshop at the international Ableton Loop conference in Berlin.

Now I want to go further to widen my range of skills and work with other people and organisations. I want to know what people are thinking. I am interested in current affairs, opinions and events that are accessible and welcoming for people with disabilities. I believe in collaboration. So why not follow my blog at journalistonwheelz.wordpress.com to hear more!