Jane Colfer

Hi my name is Jane colfer. I am 29 years old. I live in the south east of Ireland in county Waterford. I was born with Myelomeningocele Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus. I have been wheelchair bound since the age of 3 years old. I am working as a receptionist in a children’s youth centre. My goals for the future are to hopefully find a part time job as I’m only on a community employment scheme at the moment. I’d also love to learn how to drive and one day be able to live independently on my own. 

I love hanging out with friends meeting up with a wheelchair group I’ve recently joined in Ireland and going for walks with my dog Aswel as listening to music. I’m shy at first but once you get to know me I’m a very kind independent person. Growing up with a disability was very hard for me as I always used to get looked at strangely by other kids and get asked 100 questions as to why I wasn’t like other kids. 

As I’ve got older though I learned to embrace my disability and to see it as something special and not a bad thing. So my advice to anyone who has a disability just be yourself and don’t be ashamed of what you have because at the end of the day it has made me the woman I am today and I couldn’t be more prouder to be her !!