We supported Susan to tell her story at a Disability Royal Commission private session Susan (not her real name) lives with different disabilities. She uses an interpreter to communicate. Susan wanted to tell the Disability Royal Commission about her experiences growing up. She valued her privacy and didn't want anyone to know her story, or that she’d shared it with the Royal Commission. Using an interpreter, we worked with Susan to support her to register for and take part in a private session. Susan told her story in a safe and private way and at the end of the session she said she felt "great".
With our support Lucy chose how to share experiences with the Disability Royal Commission Lucy’s son, Jonathan (not their real names), communicates without speaking. He experienced bullying and discrimination from students and teachers at school. Lucy wanted to share Jonathan’s story with the Royal Commission but wasn't sure how. She didn't want other people to have the same bullying experiences. After speaking with us, Lucy decided to make a public submission. Lucy thanked us for supporting her to decide the best way for her share her story.
We connected Gillian with tenancy legal advice and supported her with the Disability Royal Commission Gillian (not her real name) wanted to tell the Royal Commission about her experiences as a person with disability. She wanted to name names at the Royal Commission, and we gave her advice on her options. Her story included problems she was having as a tenant, including a dispute with her landlord. The problems still affected Gillian, and we asked if she wanted further legal support. We introduced Gillian to the Legal Aid Tenancy team. She said our lawyer was “the first person who has really pointed me in the right direction and I will always be grateful for that”.
We supported Sarah and David to get the legal assistance they needed most David (not his real name) came to us with a problem. His daughter Sarah’s (not her real name) home group evicted her during COVID-19. When she was evicted, David and his family struggled to give Sarah the support she needed. David wasn’t sure if the eviction was legal. We introduced David to Legal Aid’s Housing team who called him to provide legal advice the next week. We also talked to David about the different ways he could share the story with the Royal Commission. David decided he wanted to correct Sarah’s housing situation first. He might talk to the Royal Commission about the story later.
We supported Akaash to tell his story in a safe way Akaash (not his real name) called us because he was being discriminated against at work and by the police because of his disability. He wanted to share his story with the Disability Royal Commission but didn’t know how. He was worried what might happen to him if the people he named in his story found out. Akaash spoke to us. One of our lawyers explained how Akaash could get special legal protections to tell his story more safely. Our lawyer worked with the Royal Commission to get Akaash those special legal protections. With our support, Akaash shared his story with the Royal Commission in a way that was safe for him.