 Ballard was born on 6 June 1982 in Canberra . At the age of seven , she became a ( T10 ) paraplegic after a car accident , when her mother lost control of the car through fatigue . Following the accident , her initial hospitalisation and rehabilitation was in Canberra for three months , among elderly amputees . Her rehabilitation was then moved to the Royal North Shore Hospital , where she met Christie Dawes ( née Skelton ) , who she would later race with in the Australian 4x100 m relay team at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics . Because her brother had spina bifida , and was already " in the [ regular ] system " , her parents insisted that Angie continue at a regular school , rather than one specifically for disabled students . She attended Lyneham Primary School and Lyneham High School in Canberra . Her physical education teacher was one of the people who first encouraged her to participate in wheelchair sports . After her rehabilitation she tried swimming and wheelchair basketball . Her first experiences of racing at the age of 12 resulted in blisters and a sore neck , but wheelchair athletics soon became her passion . At age 14 , after treatment for scoliosis , Ballard was unable to participate in sport for a year . 
