Samson

An image of Samson sitting outside in his motorised wheelchair.Samson finds his tune

If there’s one place where Samson feels right at home, it’s in the music studio.

“I feel at peace, relaxed and in my own zone, like nothing else matters," says Samson.

The budding hip hop producer recently started studying a Diploma of Music. For him, music is not just a passion – it’s a powerful way to have your voice heard.

“I like hip hop as an art form because it doesn't always have a filter. You can just express yourself,” says Samson.

He adds, “A lot of the music I make is inspired by my own experiences.”

Samson lives with cerebral palsy and uses an electric wheelchair to get around.

Deciding where to study and which support services to use is an important part of making his life accessible.

“When I was choosing what college to go to, I had to go and check out the facilities to find out if it’s easy for me to access,” says Samson.

Making things work also means finding the right modifications, such as the height of the desk or the distance of the buttons on a recording board.

There's a lot to think about, but Samson always fine tunes things to suit him.

“I face physical challenges every single day, but I’m the type of guy who thinks if there’s a will, there’s a way,” says Samson.

In the past, Samson relied on word-of-mouth suggestions when looking for support services.

 “If your friend says they’ve used a service and they’re good, then you're more inclined to use it,” he explains.

It was a friend who first recommended the Disability Gateway to Samson, and he’s used it a few times since.

"I often have to find things like an occupational therapist,” says Samson. “You can search for services that are in your area and it gives you a massive list to work off."

For Samson, getting access to a central hub of information is very helpful.

"I feel like it's important, especially in the field of disability and NDIS,” Samson says. “There's nothing wrong with having choice.”

 
Video duration 1:00

Audio Visual

[Background music playing]

I hope to make music production, one of my biggest passions, you know, the big aim is to become the next Dr. Dre, you know how it is.

My name's Samson.

I study music full-time.

A lot of the decisions came around, can I access the venue? Fit under the table? Use the computer? and all that sort of stuff.

They do their best to try to accommodate to your needs when you do study here.

How I feel like you have to go about life is gutsy and resilient.

Making music allows me to express myself, making it relatable to other people.

Hip hop is an art form, it gives you a voice.

It doesn't necessarily have a filter. You can kind of express yourself.

I’ll always believe in the power of word of mouth.

Friend of mine told me about Disability Gateway.

I've used the website a couple times and I feel like it’s very important in the field of disability and my future goal is to setup a studio space for people with disabilities

and teach them what I’ve learned.

[Title graphic: Australian Government logo and Disability Gateway logo. Website URL: www.disabilitygateway.gov.au]

Video duration 1:00

Audio Visual

[Background music playing]

I hope to make music production, one of my biggest passions, you know, the big aim is to become the next Dr. Dre, you know how it is.

My name's Samson.

I study music full-time.

A lot of the decisions came around, can I access the venue? Fit under the table? Use the computer? and all that sort of stuff.

They do their best to try to accommodate to your needs when you do study here.

How I feel like you have to go about life is gutsy and resilient.

Making music allows me to express myself, making it relatable to other people.

Hip hop is an art form, it gives you a voice.

It doesn't necessarily have a filter. You can kind of express yourself.

I’ll always believe in the power of word of mouth.

Friend of mine told me about Disability Gateway.

I've used the website a couple times and I feel like it’s very important in the field of disability and my future goal is to setup a studio space for people with disabilities

and teach them what I’ve learned.

[Title graphic: Australian Government logo and Disability Gateway logo. Website URL: www.disabilitygateway.gov.au]

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Education

Samson

Samson’s Story

An Easy Read case study

Photo of Samson in Easy Read

This story is about a person with a disability called Samson.

image 2

Samson has cerebral palsy and uses an electric wheelchair.

image 3

The Disability Gateway website helps Samson find support services.

image 4

Samson loves music.

image 5

Samson is studying a diploma of music.

image 6

He is learning how to make songs.

image 7

Samson’s favourite type of music is hip-hop.

image 8

Hip-hop is a song where a person raps over a beat.

image 9

Samson loves hip-hop because it is about speaking the truth.

image 10

People can use rap to advocate for their community.

image 11

Samson uses music to talk about living with a disability.

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Choosing where to study is important to Samson.

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He needs to make sure the school is accessible.

image 14

Some things Samson thinks about are:

image 15

  • Will the desk be high enough for his wheelchair?
image 16
  • Does the school have an elevator?
image 17 Can support workers help him get to the school?
image 18 In the past, Samson asked other people where to find support.
image 19 A friend told Samson about the Disability Gateway website.
image 20 Samson uses the website to find support services.
image 21 Samson can search the website for services close to his home.
image 22 Samson likes Disability Gateway because it has many services to choose from.

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