Mitchell works to help young people with disability prepare for adult life

Mitchell Dick is a confident and independent Yeppoon resident using his lived experience to help other young people with disability successfully make their way in the world.

The 26-year-old, who lives with an intellectual disability, is one of 8 young Queenslanders with disability helping Carers Queensland as part of its School to Adult Life Transition (STALT) project.

The STALT program aims to identify potential barriers and challenges for young people with disability transitioning from school to adult life, as well as realising the positive impacts that have supported young people during this important life transition.

As part of this project, Carers Queensland has established the Amplifying Young Voices Reference Group, and Mitchell is the member from the Central Queensland area.

Mitchell attended Army Cadets for 5 years which gave him confidence and leadership skills, and the structure suited his style of learning.

In the past 3 years of school, he was supported with his education in a specialised small class with a teacher he called “wonderful”. The class had modified programs that included practical learning with the focus on retail and customer service.

He also completed TAFE certificates in gardening and horticulture while at school.

“My class developed and ran our own businesses, like one of them was ‘Posh Wash', a car washing business, and another was a café that provided simple meals and coffee for the staff and parent meetings,” Mitchell said.

“We won a $10,000 grant from the Commonwealth Bank to continue with our Posh Wash business which taught us how to manage it correctly, do finances, make sure that we knew if a customer has a problem and how to fix it when they came to a supervisor.

“It was a good experience and definitely helped us out by learning more about jobs.”

He was also a part of a pilot traineeship program, incorporated with his Year 12 education, which is where he gained his first employment in the retail industry.

After school Mitchell tried getting work through various disability employment providers but placements were not in his preferred fields.

He originally wanted to be a police officer, but through work experience and retail courses at school, he’s found a love for the retail industry and now works at Woolworths in Yeppoon.

“I found leaving school and trying to get a job quite difficult actually,” said Mitchell, who moved from Adelaide to Central Queensland after he graduated.

“It was up and down, up and down, trying to go from here, trying to go from there, then trying to look for a job, then go from agency to agency – I tell you; it was hard work.

“I had stable work at Rockhampton’s Basketball Stadium which I really enjoyed, but I lost my job when COVID hit, so that was tough.

“I then got work as a kitchen hand which was really hard and I didn’t enjoy it. Mum helped me to apply for my job at Woolworths and I have been there for the past 2 years.”

Mitchell said he wanted to be part of the Amplifying Young Voices Reference Group so he could help others because: “once you get out in the real world, it’s like, yeah, there’s no more fun and games.”

“Once you get out in the actual world it's more serious because you’ve got more things ahead of you. You’ve got more bills to pay, you’ve got to find a job ASAP, especially since all the prices of things have gone up again.

“After school it’s a whole different level because you know you’ve got to start making your dreams come true. You need a plan.

“Like, you want to find a house, you want to buy a boat, you want to buy a car and you want to have all these things, but you can’t really do that unless you have a proper job.

“As part of the reference group I want to help and give people advice to help them find out what their main goal is and how they are going to get there.

“You want to have all these things in life, but you can't really do that unless you have a proper job. I would also say, I would try and save money as hard as possible. I keep a record of everything I do.”

Mitchell is supported by Carers Queensland to use his National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plan and funding. The Scheme funds a support worker to help Mitchell a few days a week with daily chores and life maintenance.

“My support worker on Tuesday usually sits down and keeps an eye on me as I do the cooking, most of it myself, and if I need a hand she helps me,” Mitchell said.

Living independently was also one of Mitchell’s goals and something he has achieved since being on the NDIS. Although he said he wouldn’t mind sharing his unit with someone who shares similar interests.

“Sometimes I visit my parents on the weekend and spend the night if I look after their dog, Ellie. I like visiting but it’s nice to not live with them anymore and have my own space,” Mitchell said.

“It was a big step and change, but it’s a good feeling, though, more freedom.”

With a determination to achieve whatever he puts his mind to; Mitchell has an exciting future ahead of him.

“While my dream was to be a policeman, maybe one day I would like to try and be a security guard, try and learn some experiences out of the job and see what it’s like.”

Carers Queensland can support you to find out more about the NDIS, to apply for funding and to help you get started with the NDIS.

If you have a disability but are not eligible for the NDIS, Carers Queensland can help you identify and link to options for support in your community.

You can also contact Carers Queensland on 1300 999 636, cq.enquiries@ndis.gov.au, or sign up to our LAC Connect app here.