Tansy's story transcript

Tansy: My favorite thing about coming to work is being able to interact with the students and imparting knowledge of how to use a library. 

My name is Tansy and I'm a library technician at Lucknow Primary School. 

Vicky: Tansy's dream job was to work in a library. She had the qualifications, but she just needed that job. 

Tansy: I had two lots of six-month cycles contract work, but after the six month subsidy, nobody would touch it. 

Vicky: We're all about ongoing and sustainable employment, so I told Tansy, "When I get you a job, which I will, it's up to you. You've got to impress that employer to make them want to keep you." 

Alli: Tansy came to us with a avid interest in literacy, so that's where we decided that working in the library would be a good fit. It wasn't about having someone with a disability. It was just about the challenges that they could face and making sure that we could support them. 

Tansy: When I was three weeks old, the stroke damaged my left hemisphere, which affected my right eye and leg predominantly. 

Alli: When the kids come in, they don't even look at the aspects that are a little bit different, but they just see Tansy as a librarian. 

Tansy: I really put my all in those six months. I got called into the office and basically said that they're going to keep me, and I knew I was having a job, so that was brilliant. 

Alli: She decided to go down the path of actually becoming a teacher, of which we supported, so she's in the process of getting her teaching degree. 

Vicky: For Tansy to start off working in the library, and now where she's going, is amazing. It's been a beautiful thing to watch. 

Tansy: APM listened to me. They actually understood that I did have these hopes and dreams that I wanted to fulfill, because everybody else gets the right to, so why shouldn't someone with disability have those same wants dreams and hopes?