V Samuela
Hireup Community Advisor and Summer Foundation Lived Experience Partner in Dharawal Country in Campbelltown
The first thing people see when they look at me is that I'm purple from head-to-toe... but I'm more than just a colour... and I'm more than the wheelchair I sit in... I’m V. I’m a passionate and outspoken disability rights and inclusion advocate, fighting every day to protect my rights and those of my peers.
I am a wife to an old-school hiphop head, and mother to a 3-year-old Affenpinscher named Zola.
In 2007, at the age of thirty-four, a massive migraine hit me like a clap of thunder and turned my world upside down. I went on to survive two massive strokes within a three-day period which rendered me 'disabled'.
My family and I fought hard to stay out of a nursing home and after a long 10-year battle navigating the system, first ADHC and countless supported accommodations, and now the NDIS. I am finally living in the community with my husband close to family and friends.
Having always been a feisty, strong and fiercely independent (Latino) woman, I believe that my path has shaped me into a disability warrior and my continued struggles with the NDIS, whilst sometimes getting the best of me, fuel my mission to help others who may need an ear, or a voice, or a hand in their own battles.
As a former NSW 'Living Life My Way' Ambassador, I live by my mantra #empoweredbychoice. Empowered by the choices that are every human's right and empowered because I choose to exercise control in my own life.
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You can visit my website and social media pages to find out more about me.