Assistive technology and work: Marlena’s journalism story

Typically, I am a person that has always looked to the future and I have intentionally chosen not to reflect on the past. As a 25 year old with Cerebral palsy, however, I have admittedly wondered what my life would have been like if I had been born at a different time. Being non-verbal, technology plays a major role in my life on a daily basis. If I was born 20, 10 or even 5 years earlier, would I have been given the opportunities that I have now? Would I have even been rightly presumed an intellectual being or instead presumed incompetent and given meaningless task during my formal schooling years?

Fast forward to my life now and I consider myself extremely blessed to have been given the same opportunities as my peers. Some of these opportunities I blew, while others I ran with and pursued. As a young girl, I always had an interest in music as well as writing. I recall my many long commutes to Brisbane from the Gold Coast as a child, my mother playing the radio. I recall even in my early days watching “Hey Hey, it’s Saturday” with the family and seeing a weird guy in a hat chatting to all the musicians who had just performed on the show. This love of music progressed to the point I started attending what I perceived to be great shows as a young 7 year old. Now, however, my music taste has moved on from Miley Cyrus.

My journey from those days saw me develop a passion, which in turn developed into a unique and fun career. Throughout my schooling, I wasn’t the smartest in my class but I followed what I loved. After completing high school I studied a Diploma of Business, which helped me immensely in improving the small business I had started. However, writing was still something I enjoyed. I enjoyed it because even though it would sometimes take me a while to construct, I am essentially judged on the final product. So, the next step was to continue this on at a tertiary level. It was an intentional step as it taught me what it truly is to be a journalist. It also gave me the credibility, which is vital in the niche market that I have chosen to pursue. Music and entertainment journalism is a pretty hard industry to crack and apart from the academic side, it’s also about immersing myself in the industry to gain contacts.

Being non-verbal and having cerebral palsy is a point of difference that creates a unique opportunity for my interview subjects to remember me by. In my short career thus far, I have been blessed to interview a wide mix of people. While I focus on music, I have also been blessed to chat with people such as The Dalai Lama, Richard Branson and comedian Russell Brand. I have been blessed that the“weird man in the hat” has become a mentor and a friend; I first met Molly Meldrum at the Aria Awards and he gave me some encouraging advice to keep doing what I enjoy, saying I will be successful.

Many people support my dreams and I have the technology to allow me to achieve my wildest dreams.  Although the Ipad has only been out a little over 5 years now, it has become an integral part of my life. It gives me a certain level of independence and autonomy over my life. It allows me an independent voice, which allows me to be taken seriously as a journalist. My journalism is at a point now where I am known in the industry and I have had people approach me. I am extremely blessed to have received opportunities internationally as well. Some of these opportunities have seen me interview people in LA, New York, London, etc. I have been given many freelance writing opportunities and have a number of projects and goals I am pursuing. I am not 100% sure where my journey is going but it is definitely moving forward.

You know what the older generation used to say? “An Apple a day keeps the doctor away.” My grandparents didn’t even have an Apple store in their day but every time I walk out, after yet another purchase, I find myself with this saying stuck in my head. Thank god for technology, hey?