Rachael Johinke (BDisDevelEd ’23) has never accepted that blindness limits her potential. It’s why she thrives as a young mother, as a star performer who came third on national television singing competition, The Voice, and has enabled her to complete a Bachelor of Disability and Developmental Education at Flinders University.

“I’ve always been determined, and I’m quite prepared to defy the odds. My family has been incredibly supportive, but sometimes they get concerned I take on too much,” says Rachael. “It has always been in my nature to have a go.”

It was a huge undertaking for Rachael to persevere through her four-year degree, with many introduced obstacles beyond her vision impairment. This included preparing for her wedding, becoming pregnant – and the difficulties that came with commencing her studies just as COVID-19 lockdowns transformed all studies to an online environment.

“That was actually a benefit for me, because I was stuck at home and could devote myself entirely to studying,” she explains. “All of my performing commitments as a singer had stopped due to COVID disruptions, so I threw myself into my studies – and found it so rewarding.

“It became more complicated later as my life got busier and I had to deal with gestational diabetes in my final year of study, then I gave birth to Eli only two weeks after my final course presentation. So yes, the four years it took to complete my degree had its trials – but everything I did, I loved. When you are passionate about things, it’s easier to get them all done.”

Rachael came to her course almost by accident, after a friend introduced her to the Bachelor of Disability and Developmental Education and thought it would be an appropriate fit. “I’d previously been studying Speech Pathology in 2014, but I stopped because it wasn’t right for me. Still, I enjoy studying and I really wanted to get a degree by the time I turned 30.

“This course came as a surprise. Many people that I initially told about the course had never heard of Disability and Developmental Education, but I learned that this was a growing field and was going to be very worthwhile to the wider community.

“I got more excited as the course revealed itself to include so many things I’m interested in – disability, advocacy, anatomy, psychology. There was more than I expected incorporated in the degree.

“It also taught me so much about different perspectives on disability. I learned that many people suffer from great sadness and loss of their previous life after they had acquired a disability through accident or trauma – and my experience is very different to that, because I’ve never let blindness stop me from doing anything and it’s the only life I’ve ever known.

“I had to learn and accept that not everyone’s experience with disability is the same – not everyone is able or ready to have a positive mindset about it, and everyone’s goals are different. This all became clear through my course work, but especially through my placements with different service providers. It opened my eyes to a range of journeys people go through with disability.”

Rachael is especially grateful to her teachers and people in the Disability Unit at Flinders, who helped her by converting a huge amount of study resources into accessible formats.

“There were so many readings that were a fundamental part of the coursework and they converted all the documents, diagrams and pictures into Word files, which could then be read aloud to me by my computer. I didn’t have the technology or resources to convert so many files myself – and this had previously been a giant stumbling block when I tried studying Speech Pathology – but the help I received made it possible for me to keep working at finishing my degree.”

It resulted in Rachael winning the Prize for Academic Excellence award for her course, meaning she had the highest grade point average of her graduating class, which has prepared her for professional work.

“There are lots of possibilities that can come from this line of work. You can work with adults, an older demographic, children – and people with a vast array of disabilities. It’s a qualification that has a lot of flexibility.”

Rachael has joined Blind Citizens Australia, a national body representative of people who are blind or vision impaired, providing advocacy and connection for the community. She is in the role of Project Coordinator for the An Eye to the Future Employment Project, which aims to address the barriers people who are blind or vision impaired face in securing and maintaining employment through resources on the website and raising awareness of the importance of creating inclusive workplace culture.

“I’m really enjoying my role at Blind Citizens Australia, as employment has always been a strong area of interest to me. I’m also overjoyed to be a mum and so proud of my little guy.”

Rachael is also part of the Peer Support Program at See Differently, working as a mentor to support people who have suddenly experienced vision loss, and draws on her own lived experience to offer guidance and hope during a challenging time in their lives.

Beyond her professional work, Rachael is deeply committed to advocacy and community. She is an ambassador for No Strings Attached Theatre of Disability, where she completed a placement in her third year of study, and an ambassador for Animal Therapies Ltd, promoting the value of animal-assisted services in improving wellbeing for people with disabilities. She is also on the committee for Safer Me, Safer You, which supports the social and sexual rights of people with disabilities.

Her passion for music continues to be a core part of her identity. She performs gigs and delivers motivational speeches across Australia, and last year she travelled to New York to perform and receive a prestigious Danny Award for musicians with disabilities, celebrating her achievements on an international stage.

“I’m not sure what the future will hold once my contract position with BCA is over but I’m looking forward to continuing to utilise the tools and techniques I’ve learned in this field and studying as a DE, so that I can help others with a disability. I feel like I’ve got a real opportunity to improve the quality of life for a lot of people with disabilities, so that’s my ultimate goal. I also want to make my son proud of his mama.”