Teresa Chu was labelled an underachiever for most of her life but with the relevant supports she has managed to excel and exceed expectations. Her hearing impairment, which was only diagnosed in adulthood, meant she was mistakenly labelled as a poor, lazy student in her early childhood years. But after migrating from Hong Kong, as a 36 year old wife and mother, she changed all that.

Teresa received Tattersalls Award for Enterprise and Achievement in 2007 which recognised her courage in overcoming personal barriers and hardship. “I had always dreamed of being a university graduate like my brother, sister and husband,” says Teresa
“Sometimes when I was studying my weekdays lasted from 6am to 1am because of the travelling and having to tape the lectures then listen to them when I got home.”

Teresa’s academic qualifications are impressive. Over the last 14 years her educational achievements have ranged from a Vocational Certificate in Parent Education and Leadership Training, Diploma in Community Development at the Outer Eastern College of TAFE to a Bachelor of Arts (Community Development) and a Graduate Diploma in HR/IR at Victoria University and in 2004 a Master of Arts by research in Culture and International Studies at RMIT. During this time Teresa also juggled volunteer and paid work, and family life.

As advisor to the Active Participation Strategy’s Strengthening and Building Participatory Practice Project, Teresa was involved in developing strategies to assist people with a disability to actively participate in community life. She has also contributed to the implementation of the Disability Services Cultural and Linguistic Diversity (CALD) Strategy as a member of the statewide CALD Advisory Group.

Teresa sits on a number of different committees including Better Hearing Australia, Diversity & Disability and Manningham City Council’s Access and Equity Committee. Councillor of National Ethnic Disability Alliance (Victoria representatives for people from ethnic background with disability), Board member & Deputy Chair of Australian Federation Disability Organisation. She also runs her own business.