{"id":231745,"date":"2023-12-12T13:15:46","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T03:15:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.relationships.org.au\/?p=231745"},"modified":"2023-12-12T13:39:55","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T03:39:55","slug":"i-had-to-become-my-own-role-modelso-i-did","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.relationships.org.au\/i-had-to-become-my-own-role-modelso-i-did\/","title":{"rendered":"I had to become my own role model\u2026so I did"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guest Blog by NED Ambassador DJ Cooper Smith<\/strong><\/p>\n

“<\/em>Melbourne based DJ and producer, Cooper Smith<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is an 18-year-old with cerebral palsy (CP) who \u2026 as a DJ artist brings high energy and passion to his performances. He loves producing music with an emotional vibe and dreams of playing at international festivals showcasing his own music.”\u00a0 Triple J Unearthed, 2023<\/em><\/p>\n

We asked NED Ambassador DJ Cooper Smith to tell us a bit about his story as a DJ and his life in general. This is only part of the \u2018amazingness\u2019 that is Cooper!<\/p>\n

\u201cAt 11 years old I felt strongly about being represented as a person with disability in mainstream advertising.\u00a0 When I looked at magazines and TV, I never saw anyone with a disability like me who uses a walker and a wheelchair – so I felt like I wasn\u2019t represented. <\/em><\/p>\n

I also really wanted to try modelling, as a child who happens to have a disability. There wasn\u2019t anyone with CP that I could look up to as a role model, so I had to become my own role model.<\/em><\/p>\n

I love music and how it enables me to communicate and express myself and do things \u2013 like standing and dancing for two hours \u2013 which I didn\u2019t think was possible. With my CP I find some movements and speech challenging, but my disability is just a small part of my identity.\u00a0 The\u00a0Dylan Alcott Foundation<\/strong><\/a>, gifted me new decks in 2021, and an invitation to play my first music festival,\u00a0Ability Fest*<\/strong><\/a>\u00a02023 on the main stage in Melbourne. The rest is history!<\/p>\n

You can watch my interview at Ability Fest for more of my story and for some of my live set on the main stage,\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

I love being able to communicate through my music and entertain people across live community events, on radio, and in clubs.\u00a0 Anyone can enjoy music and it doesn\u2019t matter about their ability.<\/p>\n

I have \u2018dystonic CP\u2019<\/em> which means that movements happen without my control, so it can make DJing tricky. But I like a challenge and I\u2019ve learned how to adapt the equipment. The technology is changing and becoming way more accessible.<\/p>\n

When I am not doing gigs or daily practice on my decks, my day-to-day life is busy.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m often invited to speak in schools about my life as a teenager with CP; although to be honest, once the initial questions are answered, mostly the kids are just interested in my life and music.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a brand ambassador for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance<\/a> and also work with the City of Melbourne as an accessibility consultant. I\u2019ve also been fortunate to do some modelling for an Australian owned inclusive clothing range designed to include those with disability.<\/p>\n

And I recently worked with detectives from Victorian Police to help them understand what it\u2019s like to interview people with different communication styles and speaking patterns.<\/p>\n

My motto is \u2018Never give up!\u2019 <\/em>I\u2019m passionate about persistence, showing up and doing what I say I\u2019ll do. My advice to people with disability is: If you\u2019re trying your best and are positive about your disability; not complaining about the situation and feeling sorry for yourself; then people are more likely to support you and want to be around you. People are also more likely to help someone with a disability if they have something in common<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I now have an agent, \u2018Thick as Thieves\u2019 to manage my bookings and I play great gigs and festivals in Melbourne and around Australia. In 2024, I am hoping to do a European and Australian tour.<\/p>\n

In 2023, I was invited to be a NED Ambassador. I said, \u2018yes\u2019 straight away because the Neighbours Every Day campaign matches how I feel about inclusion and belonging.\u00a0I\u2019m so happy little kids now with CP, or who use a wheelchair, or who love music, can see someone like them, smashing their goals.<\/p>\n

We all deserve to grow up and see ourselves reflected in all areas of life. My hope as a NED Ambassador is that I can raise awareness about that and help create belonging in Australia – and beyond!<\/p>\n

DJ Cooper Smith’s debut track \u2018Stay\u2019 shot up to number 20 in ARIA charts for Club Music.\u00a0 You can listen here\u00a0Stay – (Extended Mix)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

*Ability Fest<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is Australia’s first all-accessible music festival and is the country’s leading inclusive event in the middle of Melbourne’s CBD. The festival raises money for the\u00a0<\/em>Dylan Alcott Foundation<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, which helps young kids with disabilities to achieve their dreams.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guest Blog by NED Ambassador DJ Cooper Smith “Melbourne based DJ and producer, Cooper Smith\u00a0is an 18-year-old with cerebral palsy (CP) who \u2026 as a DJ artist brings high energy and passion to his performances. He loves producing music with an emotional vibe and dreams of playing at international festivals showcasing his own music.”\u00a0 Triple […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":231746,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,81],"tags":[26],"class_list":["post-231745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-guest-blog","tag-neighbour-day"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.relationships.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231745"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.relationships.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.relationships.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.relationships.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.relationships.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=231745"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.relationships.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231745\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":231756,"href":"https:\/\/www.relationships.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231745\/revisions\/231756"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.relationships.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/231746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.relationships.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.relationships.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=231745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.relationships.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=231745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}