Scott's Story
This year is the beginning of a new era for our son Scott. He is living independently, as he has purchased his own townhouse. We live in a northerly coastal town in Queensland that has a rapidly growing population and a thriving tourist industry.
If any one had told us in 2000 that when he turned 21 he would qualify for a bank loan to purchase his own home we would have thought they were crazy. Scott was able to get a loan because he has been employed at McDonalds for three years. When Scott was at school he did work experience at McDonalds for two years, then supported by a Commonwealth funded employment agency, he started paid employment. He receives the full rate of pay, not ‘productivity based’ or Government subsidised wages. The structure of his job as a kitchen hand suits Scott’s autistic mannerisms, as the preparation of the burgers, etc., is repetitious. Scott always tells us if he has washing up duty, as this is not a structured process and he has difficulty with it.
Scott has a full and varied social life, with both people with a disability, and the broader community. He is an excellent Ten Pin bowler with an average of 172. He bowls in the local league for people with disabilities, plays in an open evening league, as well as with the centre’s Touring League an open league that travel thought South-East Queensland competing in Tournaments. In 2002 he was awarded the Highest Series Scratch in both the Disability League and the Touring League (this is the highest individual award.) He holds the male lane record for a 268 game on lane 6 in the bowling alley. A photo of Scott is used to advertise the Bowling Allen in our local tourist magazine.
He plays golf at least once a week, he is a member of the local Gym and goes 4 times a week, after work – this works off the McDonalds lunch. On his 21st birthday the owners of the Bowl gave Scott membership of the Zone 3 (laser target, maze game) and he competes at the monthly member’s nights.
Last December, Scott was asked to be “Santa” at the local respite agency Christmas party. This in turn, lead to him being asked to be Santa, for the Junior Leagues at the Bowling Alley. He did surprisingly well. We observed he had a definite personality change when ‘hidden’ behind the beard. He became more outgoing and confident and showed fewer signs of the shy young man who does not easily initiate conversations.
Through work and recreation Scott is developing natural relationships, not only with paid support staff or those that we, as his parents have instigated. As I said earlier, we never thought his life would be this full and valued.
Before I attended a series of Parent Information Workshops in 1997, we assumed we would be the ‘eternal parents’. We never envisaged that at 21 Scott would live independently, we thought he would always be with us. We never dreamed that he would want to leave us, or that we would ever be ready and confident enough to let him go. Don’t get me wrong, this situation did not happen overnight, it involved a lot of work around learning what was possible, about getting involved, and networking with other parents with similar life experiences. It involved our family being known and respected for our contributions to Government and Non-government organisations. It was essential that Scott be known and be part of both the disability sector and the community at large.
This may read like a fairy tale – it isn’t. It is about having an ordinary life for Scott and us. About the rights and responsibilities that come with an ordinary life. It is about Scott being given the opportunities to succeed and fail like every one. Scott does, and always will require support and direction to live independently. He requires medication, so we will use Daily Dosage Packs, this way he and we, will know his medication has been taken. Money management is an issue, so access to his funds is limited while he learns to self-manage. We allocate envelopes for each day and Scott knows the consequences of overspending. He is learning preparation and freezing of meals, and get guidance when shopping etc.,
As we get older, we realise how swift the years go, we are determined to do everything within our capabilities to ensure that Scott continues to have a ‘good life’.