The Good Life: Al

Being independent is what the good life means to me.

I may have been labelled as having a disability but this label doesn’t define who I am. I don’t really feel there is a need for the term disability because we are all unique individuals, this uniqueness both defines us but also brings us together.

My uniqueness leads me to be a part of this very special kindred community as well as many other communities. Don’t get me wrong, I am very proud to wear the GNA01 warrior badge with pride, I just prefer to think of us warriors as another amazing community. Remember we all have ABILITIES!

Inclusive education is very near and dear to my heart. For me, it was attending my local kindergarten, primary school and co-ed high school. This journey, this community will be different for each and every one of us. For me these choices were the right fit. My inclusive education equipped me for the journey of advocating for my independence. It has not always been easy, but the end result is always rewarding.I have recently taken my most important independent journey to date, this is living on my own. This journey had a lot of winding parts in the road and MANY MANY potholes but I made it safely to my destination, my very own unit!

Al Graham is a son, a brother, an uncle, a friend, a confidant and an advocate. He recently spoke at the Department of Education’s Deputy Principals Conference on Inclusion. Al is a small business owner who is in the early stages of setting up a gift seeking service.

In our social media series #StoriesOfTheGoodLife we explore what a good life means for people with disability. People from all walks of life, living rich, full and meaningful lives on their own terms.

Funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services.