Briahna Grant-Griffin dreams of one-day having her own place with a pink and purple front door.
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The same passion for colour goes into her fabric choices for the rag dolls she makes and sells to bring her goal closer.
Like most 20-year-olds, Ms Grant-Griffin needs to earn money to make the dream a reality, but living with cerebral palsy makes working a full time job a challenge.
Thanks to a push-button sewing machine paid for through the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Ms Grant-Griffin is setting up her own business Lis & Bri Upcycling with help from her mum Alisa Griffin.
"For Briahna to go into the workforce she would need a full-time carer with her, so it kind of defeated the purpose," Ms Griffin said.
Making the rag dolls gives Ms Grant-Griffin responsibility during the week as she works toward selling them at Sunday markets.
Ms Grant-Griffin's goal in the next five years is to live in her own unit in the family's backyard in Dunlop where she can get "peace and quiet" from her two younger brothers but remain connected to the main house by video and intercom.
On the days Ms Grant-Griffin isn't busy with one of her activities, she and Ms Griffin work on the rag dolls and their debut at the Hall Markets proved a success, with the stall selling out of ballet dolls.
"The rag dolls and the markets are going to make her an active member of the community," Ms Griffin said.
"It's also money-handling skills, communication and customer service."
Besides the computerised sewing machine, Ms Grant-Griffin's NDIS funds will pay for a garage workshop and home gym to expand the business and help her stay active.
Ms Griffin said Ms Grant-Griffin's transfer to the NDIS last October has been life-changing.
The funds pay for a support worker to help Ms Grant-Griffin with self-care for two hours each weekday morning and take her to dance classes, equine-assisted learning, private physiotherapy, and hydrotherapy each week.
The family home will soon be adapted to allow Ms Grant-Griffin to become even more independent.
"Before the NDIS we had none of this … it's made a huge difference to us as a family," Ms Griffin said.
"Briahna has a pretty independent adult life now … the biggest thing with Briahna is to keep her active due to her cerebral palsy.
"Briahna is doing more with her body now then she has in her whole life."
They have started expanding the business to upcycled furniture, thanks to a grant through Social Ventures Australia, but the rag dolls are still Ms Grant-Griffin's favourite part.
Ultimately they hope to employ another person with disabilities part-time.
Ms Grant-Griffin designed the doll's unique keyhole shape when Ms Griffin was trying to think of a way to use leftover fabric while reupholstering chairs, but the idea was also influenced by her rag doll cat Daisy.
Each element of the dolls' design has meaning – the girl dolls are bald as a tribute to her a friend who died of cancer, the boys have spiked hair like her four brothers and none of the dolls have arms or legs.
"Some of Briahna's friends can't use their arms or legs so it wasn't a necessity to her," Ms Grant said.
"Briahna now owns the design through IP [Intellectual Property] Australia … we're also about to trademark Keyhole Dolls."
Before the NDIS the only support Ms Grant-Griffin had received was a Disability ACT school leaver's package when she finished year 12 in 2013 at the Woden School.
The money paid for an electric wheelchair which helps keep her from falling in crowded public areas.
