Fest-ABILITY
Donation protected
My name is Katrina Ford, everyone calls me Kat. I am a 50 year old woman who is a paraplegic. I have been in a wheelchair for 10 years after suffering a fall from a balcony. It left my body broken and me feeling incredibly vulnerable. In a split second my life, and the lives of my family, changed forever. There are some things children should never see, and seeing their mother critically injured and almost die is one of them. I had to re learn so much, so many things that I took for granted were gone. We had to learn to be a family again, with redefined roles. Life was never going to be the same for us, but I was alive, that is all that mattered the first few years.
Fast forward three years I realised that I was just 'coping' with life and not living life. I had become afraid. I was still living, working and going out, but I was only doing what was within the confines of my comfort zone which was getting smaller and smaller without me realizing. I started to become fearful and having panic attacks whenever I was in a situation that I could not control. It was debilitating and soul destroying.
So what does a person do when they become fearful of life? I decided to confront my fears and told myself if something terrifies you, just do it! So I did. I had the help and support of friends and my kids who helped me do what I feared. I went scuba diving, surfing, and started going to concerts and music festivals. The ultimate challenge was to go camping at Bluesfest in Byron Bay. It was definately a challenge, especially for my girlfriend who travelled with me. Going from friend to carer is not an easy transition for anyone. It was life changing. The one thing that transports my broken body to a healing place, is music and feeling like I am part of something bigger than myself.
It made me feel like I was living a full life again, that I was contributing. I wanted to do more, it was just a taste of how good life could be. I wanted other people who are stuck in a wheelchair to feel like me, I wanted to share this feeling of freedom.
Yet there are so many obstacles that make this a challenge, our physical world is not inclusive to all people. This creates a 'them'and ús'environment, and it also sends a message that ýou are not welcome here'. This invisible disconnect is what prevents us from venturing out. Its our own minds that limit us, face your fears and live your life on your terms, not what society has placed on you. I wanted to help people with disabilities do this.
So Fest-ABILITY was formed. For me this is about making EVERYTHING POSSIBLE to people with disabilities.
I want Fest-ABILITY to initially help people go to festivals, go camping, go to music concerts, or any type of festival or outing that they have avoided because of their insecurity and vulnerability in the face of environmental exclusion. I need to start small, taking a group of people with disabilities and their carers to a music festival overnight. Then build on this from experience to experience.
Eventually I want Fest-ABILITY to become a movement.
I am looking for funds to help kickstart this business. I have so many ideas but need money to help me get these ideas off the ground.
I have registered the business name and now I need to start making this dream a reality. I need the funds fairly quickly to give me the foundation to start my first venture. It will help me get the equipment and staff I need to get to take people with disabilities overnight. It will help me fund networking opportunities and assist in creating a profile in social media....there are so many things I need to do and I need the support to do it.
Getting this help will help change lives. It will give me the opportunity to start a business focussed on creating ways for people with disabilities to do the things that they never thought possible. I have travelled the road filled with fear and will continue to challenge myself because I have to keep moving forward. Fest-ABILITY is an example of me facing my fears, and I am going to keep it moving forward.
Fast forward three years I realised that I was just 'coping' with life and not living life. I had become afraid. I was still living, working and going out, but I was only doing what was within the confines of my comfort zone which was getting smaller and smaller without me realizing. I started to become fearful and having panic attacks whenever I was in a situation that I could not control. It was debilitating and soul destroying.
So what does a person do when they become fearful of life? I decided to confront my fears and told myself if something terrifies you, just do it! So I did. I had the help and support of friends and my kids who helped me do what I feared. I went scuba diving, surfing, and started going to concerts and music festivals. The ultimate challenge was to go camping at Bluesfest in Byron Bay. It was definately a challenge, especially for my girlfriend who travelled with me. Going from friend to carer is not an easy transition for anyone. It was life changing. The one thing that transports my broken body to a healing place, is music and feeling like I am part of something bigger than myself.
It made me feel like I was living a full life again, that I was contributing. I wanted to do more, it was just a taste of how good life could be. I wanted other people who are stuck in a wheelchair to feel like me, I wanted to share this feeling of freedom.
Yet there are so many obstacles that make this a challenge, our physical world is not inclusive to all people. This creates a 'them'and ús'environment, and it also sends a message that ýou are not welcome here'. This invisible disconnect is what prevents us from venturing out. Its our own minds that limit us, face your fears and live your life on your terms, not what society has placed on you. I wanted to help people with disabilities do this.
So Fest-ABILITY was formed. For me this is about making EVERYTHING POSSIBLE to people with disabilities.
I want Fest-ABILITY to initially help people go to festivals, go camping, go to music concerts, or any type of festival or outing that they have avoided because of their insecurity and vulnerability in the face of environmental exclusion. I need to start small, taking a group of people with disabilities and their carers to a music festival overnight. Then build on this from experience to experience.
Eventually I want Fest-ABILITY to become a movement.
I am looking for funds to help kickstart this business. I have so many ideas but need money to help me get these ideas off the ground.
I have registered the business name and now I need to start making this dream a reality. I need the funds fairly quickly to give me the foundation to start my first venture. It will help me get the equipment and staff I need to get to take people with disabilities overnight. It will help me fund networking opportunities and assist in creating a profile in social media....there are so many things I need to do and I need the support to do it.
Getting this help will help change lives. It will give me the opportunity to start a business focussed on creating ways for people with disabilities to do the things that they never thought possible. I have travelled the road filled with fear and will continue to challenge myself because I have to keep moving forward. Fest-ABILITY is an example of me facing my fears, and I am going to keep it moving forward.
Organizer
Katrina Ford
Organizer
Milperra, NSW