Jay's Story

Published On: 16 December 2018Categories: News, Stories

18-year-old Jay is taking steps towards adulthood and with support from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and his Local Area Coordinator (LAC), his future has never looked brighter.

Jay’s a practical man; he likes gardening, fixing bikes, going to the gym, and his job collecting trolleys.

At work he’s risen through the ranks and is now one of the top employees, the person the boss rings when another worker can’t make their shift.

His confidence has grown on the job, and now he’s training new staff joining the team. He loves the work – and the independence that comes with earning his own money.

Jay has ASD and ADHD. His NDIS plan is supporting him to work towards his goals, including moving out of his family home into a share house and getting his license so he can be more mobile and independent.

Jay’s using his existing skills to build a stronger social network. By helping his father in the yard, Jay has learned about gardening.

Now his NDIS plan includes funding to join a supported gardening group, where he can grow friendships, confidence and social connections with other people his age.

Jay’s mother Rose says his rising confidence and hope for the future are flowing on to the rest of the family as well.

The family works with Pearl, a Local Area Coordinator (LAC) from Carers Queensland. Rose says their worker has been a great help settling into the new system and getting used to the NDIS.
“Pearl is amazing,” Rose says.

“She’s helped a lot; if I need advice or help I can just ring her up. She understands how complicated it has been to find support for our kids.”

Rose says Pearl has been particularly helpful in providing information about what services, groups, and activities are available – part of an NDIS service called Information Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC).

“ILC is a service Carers Queensland’s Local Area Coordinators provide for the whole community, regardless of whether you have an NDIS plan or not,” said Pearl.

“We understand it can be hard to find out what’s available, especially if you’ve been socially isolated in the past,” she added.

The service works with each individual to identify the support or activities they’d like to join and finds out what’s available locally that could meet their needs.

To find out more about the NDIS, connect with us on 1800 242 636 or info@carersqld.com.au.

 

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