Blog

When you can't see what's in front of you

On International Day of People with a Disability, national ABC disability affairs reporter Nas Campanella hosted The World Today. There...

Celebrating Grace

Creative and encouraging, Social Work graduate, Grace Magat, was a popular play helper in Out of School Hours Care with children with...

Disability Care - The original name for the NDIS

Disability Care ended up being rejected as a name for the National Disability Insurance Scheme that now covers support for Australians...

Inspired by books and nature

Dara McAnulty was bullied a lot at school. He was different. Touched by autism. A teacher once told his parents that he would never be...

a good community

In hospital. Leukaemia. Second round. On this occasion it was picked up in a routine biopsy and I had time prepare for hospital...

Connections

The highlight of my son Julian's week is his exercise physiology session with physiotherapist, Shelley Matthews at Choice Physiotherapy...

When the mother has Covid, support is connection

When Mum has Covid, the son must have negative RATs to continue to attend his day program. Her friend, Helen, buys them a lot of fresh...

The people and the dog

Ingredients for supporting Julian to focus on exercise physiology: · A physiotherapist who would recognise the calming qualities of...

How are you?

When people care to ask, I don’t murmur a polite ‘good thanks’ or ‘pretty good considering’. I am heavy with existential emptiness....

Covid social impact

Did you know I was going to have a big book launch on February 6th? I had plans to invite lots of families with children with disability...

Tangible communication

House for sale. A sign to point to. Inside we have promotional leaflets to distribute and exclaim upon. When you can’t speak or write...

Challenges

September was eventful, twice in isolation with Julian being a close contact of a colleague with Covid. Both times we have tested...

Carers Week is coming for 2.65 million carers

As a mum, I couldn’t do anything right, until my family was embraced by an early childhood intervention program based at Melbourne City...

Sprouts are just as good

No cake, no baby sister this time around, although still at home with Mum and Dad. Never mind. A Covid Lockdown birthday pretty has...

Vaccine hesitancy

An hour before Julian was due to have his first Pfizer vaccination at the Thomastown disability immunisation hub, he tripped and fell...

Support involves trust and Hireup helps

There’s been media attention lately to the question of insurance protection for independent contracted support workers and whether any...

Support dreaming

This year, Oliver has been supporting Julian in clay modelling and firing, making rice paper rolls and sandwiches, excursions to watch...

Hey, you

When I’m disabled by age, mentally or physically, and you are still three years younger, fitter and taller, will you tolerate my dementia?...

Retrospective

2021 Less Covid 19 restrictions Personal preferences changing Introducing new supports – some accepted, some not. It’s going to take time...

How normal am I?

There is a question that may affect any of us at a particular time : What is normal and how different am I? Thinking about it, many of...