Carina Ho is living proof that pursing a passion is a life long journey regardless of the bumps that present themselves along the road.Through her dance and music career, she is challenging people to take a different perspective on disability.

Carina was 27 when she was involved in an auto accident leaving her paralyzed from the chest down as a result of a spinal cord injury. Instead of letting this injury consume her, she used it as motivation to reinvent herself. Carina is a musician and dancer but quickly realized that she was now confronted with both physical and societal barriers within these industries. There is lack of access to performance venues or assumptions that she is not able. In order to continue to pursue both these interests post-accident she needed to think creatively and approach things differently. She found a music software Ableton that allowed her to compose and produce her own music which gave her the platform to share her emotional journey. She has also joined AXIS Dance Company where she was inspired by their message to change the face of dance and disability by bridging the two worlds of disabled and non-disabled people in an artist positive way.

She hopes to portray disability to the industry in a different light and represent a positive image to the mainstream. Through music and dance Carina is sharing her story and starting conversations on what life after injury can look like. She is not only empowering herself but others with spinal cord injury and the disability community.

“If you just forget that you look different than everyone else and focus on creative opportunities that exist when you collaborate with a different body, you realize you are still an artist and there are still opportunities.”  -Carina

Carina released her new music video “Brave One” part of the ONIKHO project, in honor of her mother who she lost in the accident and the 3^rd anniversary of her injury. She is currently working on her next music video and is a traveling member with the AXIS Dance Company. Continue to follow her work and her extraordinary journey through her Facebook, Sound Cloud, and personal website.

Written by Alexandra Wulbecker