Kia Ora, I'm Rebecca Riwai, I'm 19 years of age and live with spina bifida. I've lived in the far north in the Hokianga with my family of Mum, Dad and three brothers until about three months ago. I love it, I know it's not an easy place to stay cos it's so isolated, but it's home and the only world I know.

Last year I went to a Youth Forum in Wellington. At the forum we did a workshop where we created a performance about making things better for disabled youth in the future. I was in the music group for the performance, we took known tunes and wrote new words for them. The workshop, and being with the others there, gave me a new perspective on what I can do. I had wanted to be independent and the forum opened my eyes, and I came back and started to make the dream of independence a reality.

Three months ago my friend, who is also in a wheelchair, and I moved into a Housing Corporation house in Whangarei. It's new and suitable for us wheelchair users, and it's rented to me - my friend pays board to me. Setting up house has been heaps of fun and it's great to do things our own way.

For my family it's a bit of a mixed time, they want to see me have opportunities for working and living independently, but they worry about me, especially as I'm the only girl in our family. My parents change between being cool about it, being excited for me, worrying that it will be too much for me and finding it hard to let me go. That's parents for you! But I know they are there to help out if I need it. I am just like any other typical teenager, stubborn and always making a statement, so I'm ready to give it a go.

Living in Whangarei is much easier, there is more accessible transport and some public transport, more service providers, and last but not least, more opportunity in employment.

I have someone come in and do some house work with me like cooking and cleaning. Personal care I can mostly do, but I still need a little help with that as well so I have a nurse come in every morning and night until I'm able to do it on my own completely.

I finished college when I was 16 because I had to fight for so many things around schooling. I basically got tired and left to do a course instead.

I did Computer and Business Administration Course level 3 NCEA. I completed level 4 too but I didn't get credited for this as the provider went bankrupt and didn't forward our results to NCEA. I'm thinking about completing level 4 again. I know I do want to carry on with my studies so I'm currently looking for a course that I think may benefit me in the long run. I am interested in studying music so I may decide to go along that path.

I am currently working as a disability support service officer doing administration work at Hauora Whanui. It's a good job with great people but I wouldn't want to do this permanently. Even though I am good at it, I just don't see myself being in this forever. I would really like to follow my dream of being in the music industry.

At the moment I would really love to be able to handle my money way better then I have in the past. My disability has no impact on my finances, there are no barriers to stop me from managing financially - it's basically just a teenage thing.

I'm a person who loves to do things, I'm bored doing nothing. I love performing, as you might have guessed, and I adore music. I did kapa haka for a few years in college and in primary school and would love to get back into it if I could. I was in a band with my family as one of the vocalists, which was so cool.

Community-wise, well it helps when you're in an environment where it's easily accessible to wheel around. Right now I am in a place where I can get into the community and participate in anything I am interested in, so that's excellent. I would probably love to get back into sports again so that's a goal I'm going to be working on.

Relationships - what can I say, it all depends on you and the person. I have been in and out of relationships, platonic and intimate ones. My disability does become a factor at times because it depends on how comfortable or uncomfortable it makes other people feel to be around someone who's totally dependent (or can be at times) and is different to them.

I guess my experience to date has been a rocky one, but I have come to the conclusion it's not a real relationship until the person sees you as a person rather than what you look like. In other words, outside body things matter, but what connects you to another person is the bond you share and that's where personality matters more than anything else. That includes family and friends as well as intimate relationships.

"I would really like to follow my dream of being in the music industry - but I know it will take a while to get into."

Home of my own

Home, home of my own
With everything in it I own
Ovens I can reach
And a ramp to the beach
And streets that are easy to roam

A wet area shower
And a hundred bucks an hour
And plenty of food in the fridge

And lots of support
On trains and airports
And my parents live over the bridge

A song written and sung at the 2004 'Coming of Age' Youth Forum.

Some people still want us to hide away from them. I hope to see society changing attitudes and actually making us a part of every community - making us feel like we are people who deserve the same respect as everyone else. As the saying goes, you treat people how you'd like to be treated. Hey - it's not a saying for nothing.

My view on the Disability Strategy is that we - disabled people - are doing a good job. We know what we want - now it's time for people to listen to our needs and it's up to us to make them listen. In my 19 years I have seen a lot of changes. There are changes happening for the better. I know it will get better because now I know we have a voice and we will be using our voices to get our messages out there.

In my view of the future what really matters is that EVERYONE needs to be recognised. I see our society failing with that because we, as disabled people, sometimes aren't recognised as normal individuals who are in the community.

Kia Kaha, Kia Maia, Kia Manawanui!!!!!!