About
Name
Alannah
Age
25
Work
Hospitality Worker
Location
Wodonga
Pronouns
She/Her
I don’t think people think about things being difficult if you have a disability but it’s hard to know how long to cook things for and what to do next so I don’t cook a lot when I am on my own.
Alannah loves to cook, but it’s not something that came naturally.
The 25-year-old with Down syndrome wants more opportunities for young people “to have help to learn to cook easy healthy meals instead of take away food.”
If I had to cook dinner, I wouldn’t know what to buy or what to cook or even how to plan a meal without help. People who have an intellectual disability like me find it hard to follow recipes unless they are very simple without too many steps.
“It takes a lot of practice to feel confident enough to try things on our own.”
Through a local program in her hometown of Wodonga Alannah has learnt to cook in a commercial kitchen, with ‘helpers’ teaching her.
She says that this has increased her confidence, and would love to see other people with disability have a similar opportunity.