projectABLE

Kathryn’s story- a purpose to get out of bed

Posted on July 24, 2015July 30, 2015 by Evan Ellis

My name is Kathryn Davies. I am a Personal Assistant at Challenge Community Services, Maitland. My role is a jack-of-all-trades position really. In any moment I might be answering mail, doing data entry, writing blogs, collating data for board reports, organising meeting agendas or supervising our Transition To Work (TTW) participants. Essentially I’m the office manager of our back of house.

I started working with Challenge three years ago. Here was an organisation that was making a difference in the disability sector and was a not-for-profit. Money wasn’t the driving force. Also I have young children so the job flexibility was attractive. I started permanent part time and was able to pick and choose my working days around childcare. Now I’m full time but the flexibility is still there. I can take time off in lieu, get rostered days off and am able to put aside pay to increase my annual leave.

Challenge is all about helping people in their daily life. It’s about giving people more opportunities and helping them voice what they want to do. The young woman I supervise as part of our transition to work program (TTW) is a prime example of this approach. This program is all about assisting young school leavers with a disability to develop skills and experiences so they can find a career.

When this woman originally started at Challenge she was shy and not very confident. In the beginning a TTW worker stayed with her during the workday and helped her build both her skills and confidence. Now? She is just beaming. She arrives on her one day a week with set tasks and works independently. During her time she has completed a Cert II in hospitality, gotten an RSA and is now out there looking for work. Her productivity is through the roof. It’s such a great thing to see a young individual come leaps and bounds in such a short time.

Things like work and being out there in the community are so important. It helps people feel needed. It contributes to their identity. It’s about having a purpose to get out of bed and be active. If you feel that you’re needed and that you’re contributing it just increases your well-being and improves your outlook on life.

2015 is the first year Challenge has participated in the projectABLE program. I want young people to know that with the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), the sky’s the limit. The sector is going to be less tied to 9-5 work hours. Rather people with disabilities are seeking like-minded individuals to spend time with. This means that the sector is the place to follow your passions, like art, music, travel and to share them with others.

People with disabilities will be able to select the support that best suits them. Young people can still go off to uni and study on their set days but work in the sector on weekends and evenings. Listening to a concert, a trip to the pub or simply going to a movie. Work in the sector will look more like the activities people with disabilities are interested in.

This doesn’t mean there aren’t concerns about the NDIS. As someone with experience in running the administrative side of a service provider, I wonder how smaller organisations will adapt to the new system. But I’m excited that under the NDIS people with disabilities have the freedom to say, “Hey, this is what I want. You guys are there to assist me.” At the end of the day it’s about being positive, proactive and ensuring we get the best outcomes for people with disability. So I say bring it on.

…..

WANT TO HELP OTHERS CONNECT WITH A SENSE OF PURPOSE? START WITH A PROJECT-ABLE WORKSHOP. CHALLENGE COMMUNITY SERVICES ARE HOSTING WORKSHOPS THROUGHOUT TERM 3.

Garry’s story- finding the right fit for each individual

Posted on July 16, 2015July 30, 2015 by Evan Ellis

My name is Garry Field. I’m the regional manager for Essential Employment and Training. I manage all our programs in the Shoalhaven area , from Kiama in the north to Ulladulla in the south. At Essential we help people with a disability find work and gain new skills to participate in the community. Through our social enterprise café and farmers markets we help many young people facing adversity get the hands on experience they need to become job ready.

For the past fourteen years I have worked in the disability sector. My first experience working in the disability sector was working for DOCS (now Family and Community Services) on a twelve month contract in Goulburn. This was my first introduction to anybody with a disability.When working as a case worker, you really get to know a person well. I enjoyed forming these relationships and supporting people with disabilities. After my contract finished I worked in other areas but found I missed working with people with disabilities. I missed having a job where I could assist people achieve there goals. I missed the people and staff. I knew I had to get back into the disability sector.

At Essential we assist people to find work. This is about self-esteem. Everybody wants to work. Everybody wants to earn their own money. And everybody wants to buy their own things. It gives a person great pride to have their own uniform, their own pay, their own work colleagues, to catch the bus and train everyday together – it’s something we all strive for.

A story to illustrate. We had a young fellow we supported with Asperger’s. He liked everything straight, in an order and in its right place He didn’t like a dirty environment and wouldn’t work in a factory or a (greasy, dirty) mechanic shop. We got to know the young man very well as a person and not a condition. Somebody in the office came up with the idea that maybe a library would be a good fit for him.

Well, that young man exceeded all expectations. 11 years later he is still in the local library and is no longer a client. In fact he wins all the awards for customer service there. You see when there’s a blackout and all the computers in the library are out, this young man knows exactly where all the books are. He can literally go and find any book in the library without the computer. Customers know this and go straight to him.

Also this young man can’t stand seeing a book that’s tattered. He has to get the book out and fix it, re-cover it and make it perfect. 11 years ago when he started there were hundreds and hundreds of books that needed to be repaired. Now because of him there are no books needing repairs.

At Essential our role is to find the right fit, the right place for each individual. In this case the man’s disability was also his greatest asset.

I still get excited when young people come and volunteer with us. I get excited when people enter the disability sector and I see them grow as people. You see we have a wonderful time here. Our clients have the best jokes. Our clients are so passionate. And we consider most of our clients to be good friends.

That’s why I make time in my busy schedule to host projectABLE workshops. For the past three years I have led projectABLE workshops throughout the South Coast, Southern Highlands and Goulburn. Indeed the projectABLE workshops are the highlight of my year. The disability sector is a wonderful place to work and projectABLE is a wonderful avenue to communicate this to young people.

…..

WANT TO HELP OTHERS REALIZE THEIR GOALS? START WITH A PROJECT-ABLE WORKSHOP. ESSENTIAL EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ARE HOSTING WORKSHOPS THROUGHOUT TERM 3.