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 last year.

“I’ve always been determined, and I’m quite prepared to defy the odds. My parents have been incredibly supportive, but sometimes they thought I would take on too much or do things that were beyond my capabilities,” 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, 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 sadnessafter 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.

“I had to learn and accept that not everyone’s experience with disability is the same, and that 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 scanned all the documents into Word files, which could then be read aloud to me by my computer. I didn’t have the technology to convert so many documents – 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, the elderly, children – and people with a vast array of disabilities. It’s a qualification that has a lot of flexibility.”

Rachael has joined Crystel Care, a small company of occupational therapists, positive behaviour specialists and developmental education graduates who provide complex behavioural and life goals support to a range of clients. She is also determined to maintain a solid work/life balance – which includes her recent return to singing and performing gigs in Adelaide venues.

“I’m ready to start taking on clients in my professional role, but I’m in no rush. Eli is still so very young, and caring for him is my number one priority – but I’m looking forward to using the tools and techniques I’ve learned, so that I can help others in the same way that I want to be treated. Because I have a disability, this is a great passion of mine. What I know is that I’ve got a real opportunity to improve the quality of life for a lot of people with disabilities.”