au

Manuele Teofilo

Press Service International

Manuele Teofilo lives in South Auckland with his parents and siblings. He has graduated from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Human Service. Now, he works at Elevate Christian Disability Trust. He enjoys getting around in his electric wheelchair and having fun with people.

  • I’m different from you

    Like it or not, I’m different from you and I’m okay with that. Your name, your age, your gender, your ethnicity and occupation may be different. We may have different interests, talents and abilities too. But should we let the systems of the world dictate how we interact with each other?

  • My Samoan identity

    Where is the Samoan culture heading? Is it diminishing or thriving? Is it thriving if the language of the culture is endorsed by one school system, but abandoned by another? The very school system that has neglected the language is in the land of its origin.

  • God’s timing is full of surprises

    When we are wanting something to happen, but it doesn’t happen as soon as we like, we wait.

  • Dreams come alive when we act

    I’m a member of a youth board,and disability advocate Dr Huhana Hickey spoke at a recent meeting.One thing she said was that people with disabilities don’t tend to dream big enough.

  • Disability and poverty

    People with disabilities have higher living costs because we have a long list of necessities. On top of general expenses like food, bills and transport disabled people have extra expenses because of our disabilities. New wheelchairs and other equipment occasionally need to be purchased and are expensive. Other disability-related expenses are ongoing like support workers, prescriptive medications and other various things that are essential to someone's wellness.

  • Love boxes or shoot boxes?

    There is a list of words I could have used instead of “shoot” in my article title. Hate, exclude, write-off, oppress are some synonyms for my use of shoot. Given the recent tragedy in Christchurch you might get my point. 

  • A faith boost

    When you think you know and have a reasonable understanding of God's love, He shows you His love in a much deeper way. I have experienced His love several times in my walk with Christ. Over new year’s, I was reminded of how much God loves and my faith got a boost.

  • Remember the miracles in your life (PSI Best of 2018)

    When I stop and look back over my life I am amazed by the significant things that have happened. Like when my grandpa helped my mum and I migrate from Samoa to Auckland because I have Cerebral Palsy. My grandpa believed that I would have a better upbringing in New Zealand.

  • Strengthening the patient muscle

    Patience has gotten me a long way. I have to be patient for and patient with many things in my life. It is hard at times to have patience. However, I've come to realize how much I need patience to keep going.

  • Put rest in your schedule

    Do you find time to rest?