Tanya Black

Making a Difference

Meet Tanya Black – an inspirational TV presenter who’s made it her job to broadcast the issues facing people with disabilities.

Tanya Black was rushing home from work one night, slipped at the top of her staircase and fell down 18 stairs. Her T12 complete spinal cord injury left her without the use of her legs. It could have happened to anyone. But rather than limit Tanya, the accident opened doors and introduced her to a fantastic new career.

During her rehabilitation, Tanya was interviewed for a segment on Attitude TV – a television series that reflects the lifestyle, issues and interests of people either living with a disability or caring for a person with a disability.

The producers at Attitude were looking for someone to comment on spinal cord injuries and after meeting Tanya, offered her a part-time job. Today Tanya is a researcher and reporter for the show – a complete change from her previous career in the wine and restaurant industry. It meant learning new skills, but she was ready to meet the challenge head on.

“I was fortunate enough to do training at the Australian film and television school on documentary making and interviewing techniques,” she says.

“And here at Attitude we have people who have been in the industry for years so it’s a great learning experience working alongside them.”

Tanya’s job is identifying issues and putting a human face to stories. Her duties range from researching and liaising with the director about the angle of the story to going out on the road with the crew and interviewing subjects. Once the interview is completed, she’ll also assist the director with the editing.

“I always get to meet somebody different every time,” she says. “That’s what I love about the job. I get the opportunity to travel throughout New Zealand and meet so many inspirational people every day.”

Everyone Tanya meets has a unique story. One in particular really inspired her.

“Recently Attitude TV held the Attitude Awards, which was sponsored by Invacare. There was one award called Attitude Person of the Year. All of us in the office could choose the winner. It had to be someone we filmed with during the year.

We chose Mackenzie Kench. She’s 15 and has quite high needs cerebral palsy. She uses a TalkLink computer to communicate. When she joins in a conversation she has to type out what she wants to say with her big toe.

Mackenzie did really well this year in her NCEA exams. She spent seven hours on her English exam, which is just extraordinary. She had to type it all out with her big toe. The story opened my eyes because you hear this quite computerised voice, but she’s got a really good sense of humour and she’s very witty. She has a really amazing attitude. She personifies what the programme is about.”

It’s clear the reason Tanya is so good at her job is because of the personal connections she forms with the people she meets through the show. Outside of work, Tanya is discovering more of her own abilities and trying things she never even thought about doing before the accident.

Last year, Invacare supplied her with a hand cycle and she completed part of the Otago Rail Trail for a story.

“I would never have done that before when I could have just jumped on a bike. With a hand cycle I was able to do that and experience that. I used to be a city girl but now I’ve done things like kayaking and outdoorsy stuff I wouldn’t have done before.”

Tanya keeps up her strength by doing regular caliper training, swimming and taking her dog for walks. She has her own car, which gives her independence.

“I can get wherever I need to go and I don’t need to rely on anybody else,” she says.

“I do tend to make a point of being as independent as possible because that’s important to me.”

Tanya is passionate about issues such as wheelchair accessibility, treatments and the fact that 60% of people in New Zealand living with a disability are unemployed.

“I think that my colleagues and I have a responsibility to bring to light issues facing people with disabilities.

I want to show that regardless of people’s disabilities they’re getting on with things and doing things. They’re inventive, they’re sporty, they are living life, enjoying life and getting on with life. A lot of employers think it’s going to be too hard to accommodate someone with a disability but they’re missing out on some of the most skilled people.

The more the public sees that, the less fear and ignorance they’ll have and a better understanding. I want them to look at people’s abilities rather than their disabilities.”