I'm Martha

28 May 2012: Hi, my name is Martha and I will be taking over for Jo Blogs while she is away.

I have been working at NOVA Employment for almost a year and a half as a job coach. I have supported, encouraged and trained jobseekers to look for work independently. It has been a privilege working with each and every one of the people I have worked with. They have taught me and enriched my life abundantly. I have also been privileged to develop a set of workshops to use with my clients on finding work. Alongside these workshops I have produced a blog/website that can help anyone use similar tools to find work. The website can be found at: www.letsgetworking.com.au and I would love for you guys to access the tools, for the benefits of looking for work or if you are thinking of looking for work.

How did I get my job at Nova? I made an appointment to meet with the CEO of NOVA and when I met with him, I told him that I liked NOVA's integrity and values, and that I wanted to work for them. In the meeting the CEO asked what I could do? My Assessment and Workplace Training as well as my Counselling skills got me my role as Job Coach which was a new role I got to develop.

I have Cerebral Palsy and I use a wheelchair to get around. My hands don't work as well as I would like them to either and I use a computer to do as much as I can for myself, before I ask someone for help.

I met my husband, Andrew, at university and we have been married for twelve years. We have two puppies, Pupa and Bronte.

About two years ago I agreed to be part of a trial for Deep Brain Stimulation on Cerebral Palsy. The operation did not eliminate all my twitches, however they have been reduced considerably and I am a lot more comfortable.

By being more comfortable I was also more confident to apply to work at NOVA Employment. What I hope to bring to Jo Blogs are inspirational stories about people with disabilities that can encourage you and also motivate you to try harder and achieve more than what you are doing today. I believe that anything (realistically) is possible and that with some help from those around you, you can achieve more – the sky's the limit!

Until next time