No limbs, no limits for ‘pretty unique’ Joanne

I’M pretty fast,” Joanne warns. “Fair enough,” I reply, but really I’m just curious to see how she can text at all. Gripping that ever-present iPhone between chin and what she calls her left hand, she manoeuvres it onto the table and begins texting. With her upper and lower lip. And at a speed faster than I’ve seen anyone text. My jaw drops. She shows me the screen, a flawless message. I can only chuckle in astonishment. She laughs back — you can tell she enjoys that reaction.

But this is a mere party piece for Joanne O’Riordan, a 17-year-old from North Cork. Born with a rare condition, total amelia, which left her limbless, Joanne has been the subject of media scrutiny since her early childhood — and she’s now internationally renowned.

At 15, she single-handedly shamed Taoiseach Enda Kenny into reversing budget cuts to disability allowances. On the week of her 16th birthday, she spoke at a UN conference in New York on women in technology, receiving a standing ovation. It is just one of many forums she has addressed, and she is a popular weekly columnist with this newspaper. She was made Rehab Young Person of the Year at the People of the Year awards in 2012 and has made multiple appearances on the Late Late Show.