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Saban is Source Kids Ambassador Riley prove lives. a teenager on a mission to im
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he 17-year-old from the Coffs coast in northern NSW uses a wheelchair after being born with quadriplegia cerebral palsy. But, with the help of technology, the self-confessed âtech headâ has taken control of his own destiny and will quite possibly change the future for many other people living with similar conditions. âDuring my life I have had to overcome many obstacles due to my physical disability,â explains Riley, with the help of his computerised speaking device. âI am lucky enough to be surrounded by an amazing support network of family and friends who always found a way for inclusion. âI consider myself to be a tech head and love nothing more than spending time on my computers and phone. âFor someone living with a disability, your life can somewhat revolve around technology. Without my equipment and my devices I wouldnât and couldnât be doing the things I do today.â Riley is the eldest of four children. He has a brother, Chase, 16, a sister Paige, 11, and his baby sister, Nyah, 4 months. His dad, Clint, and mum, Casey, have always supported him to take part in everyday activities with the family. âEver since he was young, weâve always gone through the process of making and altering equipment for Riley to make activities accessible,â
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Clint recalls. âWe found that if Riley wasnât able to do it, most often our family wouldnât take part in that activity. We always wanted to do it as a family and I think thatâs really important.â Riley believes in and promotes the message that âwith the right tools you can achieve anythingâ and he is acutely aware of the latest innovative products available. âFor me personally, I am always waiting for the next âbig thingâ. That piece of equipment, which will simply enable or compliment the skills I already possess,â Riley says. âI am in awe of the brilliant minds which design and create meaningful technology and those who think outside the box. The likes of Elon Musk, who seem to problem solve from all angles and the entrepreneurs creating technology
âWe have big plan s for Poly Spi ne and are curr entl y in the proc ess of deve lopi ng a wide rang e of atta chm ents whic h will allo w som e indi vidu als to try new expe rien ces for the very firs t time .â with the aim of improving lives. âDuring recent years I have been extremely fortunate to experience first-hand the process of technology development. In 2016 I was lucky enough to feature in a two-part series on ABC
Catalyst called Becoming Superhuman, where I drove a buggy through an obstacle course using nothing but my eye movements.â Riley is literally making waves nationally with his latest project named
