Do you consider yourself Chinese or Australian?
I have lived and grew up
in a really traditional Chinese household.
I feel like it's hard for me to identify
with one culture and the other culture,
but at the same time,
I'm privileged enough to experience the both of them.
Where is your family from?
My family is from Guyana,
but my great-grandparents came from India.
I was born in Australia.
Throughout my whole life, I have lived in Australia,
but I'm from Lebanon.
I'm from Iraq.
My family is from Sri Lanka and I was born here.
Mummy's from Vietnam.
I came to Australia as a refugee.
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JOHN: How do people view disability in Sri Lanka?
In Sri Lanka, they don't respect disability
and disability is hidden away.
The way that people see disability,
especially with people in my culture,
is that you're not able to be independent.
Your mother has to take care of you.
She's the one that has to provide the support for you.
That's what their assumption is.
It makes me feel weak.
People in China often think that it's a burden
and it's a shame for being...
Unfortunately, they, you know,
feel that they have to keep them away from society.
That they're just undervalued in general
because of that stigma against them.
It's not a big number
of the Chinese community who recognise autism.
First when I came to Australia,
on the beginning, everything, it was very hard with me
to find any communication, any support...anything.
I was quite lost.
Don't know where to get started.
Where to get help.
I was so eager to help Ruben live the life his sister lived.
I feel...sad and disappointed
that that's still to this day what goes on.
With everything going on and how cultures and societies are changing
that attitudes would be more open towards taking that chance
and realising people's potential.
There's still a long way to go and I think education is really important.
ABRAHIM: When I was 5 years old,
I was diagnosed as having neuromuscular dystrophy
because as I was walking, my knee started to shake,
my legs were getting weak.
As I started using the wheelchair at the age of 15,
that transition made me feel like... made me feel depressed.
That's when the social isolation came
because the people that I was friends with
started to decrease over time.
The car accident happened in 1992.
And it was a very hard accident
because I was speeding
and it affects to my back.
As soon as I graduated from school, from Year 12,
I went to the Western Sydney University,
and I did my Bachelor of Business and Commerce in Accounting.
And so I graduated.
And the following year,
I did my Masters of Business and Commerce,
and at the same time, I did my Diploma of Leadership and Management
and my Certificate IV in Customer Engagement.
I have two degrees.
My first degree was an Undergraduate in Psychology
and then I took a year off, did an internship overseas,
and then came back and really wanted to get
my Masters in Commerce and Human Resources.
What has been your experience with finding employment?
ABRAHIM: It's been a difficult journey
and this is the reason why I went to study four degrees.
It's because I couldn't find the employment
in my specialised area of study - accounting.
I've been looking for a job for six years.
It has been very difficult to get a job.
This last job failed on me and I couldn't get it back.
This is what we have to challenge every single day.
From the time we get up, to the time we sleep.
We have to challenge that.
How can we be more accepted within our community?
People with disabilities get out there and do stuff
and can run their own lives and be successful.
I used to do dance performances in the stage.
I had a group who teaches me the dance steps.
My dancing makes me feel proud.
My culture helps me feel connected.
So I was born in Iraq,
so I can't forget the country and my childhood.
So, Australia now is my second home.
What are your only hobbies?
Photography.
I enjoy ice-skating.
Ice-skating. Bowling.
And bowling.
Doing arts and crafts.
Making lots of friends.
I've learnt yoga at home,
but I also learnt yoga
at a class called the Chinmaya Mission Australia.
My mum was a teacher and I was to be her assistant.
I went to the Special Olympics in China in Shanghai,
and it was a Special Olympics.
I won the overall gold medal for Australia for gymnastics.
So all my dream was achieved in this wonderful country.
I've got a full licence to drive a car
and my lovely twins, Chris and Catherine,
they born in Australia,
so that makes me very happy
that they will grow up here in this beautiful country.
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