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Singer-songwriter Steve Sparrow’s life changed forever when he received a Christmas present from his parents as an wide-eyed 10-year-old. “For Christmas in 1984, my parents bought me my first guitar,” the 48-year-old from Brisbane’s bayside said. “Music has always played a major part in my life.” Steve, who was born blind after contracting Norrie disease, knew what he wanted out of life the moment he picked up that guitar. “Before the guitar, I had some keyboards, which I was really bad at,” Steve said. “The keyboards were a chore. But when I got the guitar, that changed everything. It was...

Like many young people, 19-year-old Priscilla Ragesh wasn’t sure what she wanted to do when she was ready to leave school. Priscilla, who embraces her Singaporean and Indian heritage, lives with an intellectual disability, which impacts her memory, learning and understanding. ‘Sometimes I can’t remember long words and sometimes I find it difficult to read the (text) book and the questions, so I need to ask for help,’ Priscilla said. ‘School was up and down and friendship wise, it was challenging, it was difficult to make friends.’ Despite a sometimes-rocky road at school, Priscilla has many reasons to be smiling...

Throughout her schooling life Amy felt like an outcast, forever questioning whether something was “wrong” with her. But since being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in 2019 and gaining access to the NDIS, the 22-year-old from Dalveen in Queensland’s Southern Downs region is on a journey of self-discovery and loving it. “Before I met my support worker, Jane, I didn’t have any friends, I couldn’t drive and I was just socially awkward,” Amy said. “But together, we worked on my social skills and had regular outings together. We would just get lunch and sit at the park or work...

Ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, former jockey Kristy Banks is showing the cowboys a thing or 2 about speed and agility as she vies for the 2023 Queensland Barrel Racing title. While rodeos are a male-dominated sport, Kristy, a NDIS participant, is leading the way in barrel racing after getting back in the saddle following a serious fall during a race on New Year's Eve in 2011. "It was just a normal day at the races until I unfortunately clipped heels with the horse in front of me and fell," Kristy, 41, said. "I was fully conscious...