Advocacy Stories
Friends ease life's load
"Ordinary people doing ordinary things of extraordinary importance is the motto here," said CAWS staff.
Citizen Advocacy Western Sydney was established in NSW in 1982, in the year of the handicapped. It links people with intellectual disability with people in the community to act as their advocates.
Not only do the advocates provide practical assistance and support but they also offer the invaluable gift of friendship.
Kim's Story
Kim and Pam have been friends for five years. They go to the movies, dinner and football and have become as close as family.
Kim, who was born with cerebral palsy, lived in different institutions for most of his life. In 1996, while living on a ‘farm’ in Richmond, Kim ran away because he was so unhappy. "It was a bad situation. I wasn’t allowed to do things that I wanted to and had no choice in activities on the weekend," Kim said. "I just sat and did nothing. I was given medication that made me tired and groggy."
A friend had told Kim about CAWS and that led to him meeting Pam. "It has been perfect, really great," Kim said. "If it wasn’t for Pam and Kaye (CAWS Harris Park manager), I wouldn’t be here now," he said.
But it isn’t just the client who gains from the relationship. Pam Branch loves being Kim’s advocate, saying that it is a very positive experience. "It is wonderful! We have such a good time! It is more inspiring than anything I’ve ever done," Pam said. "The program is all about having people with intellectual disabilities out in the community." She said.
CAWS staff believe that it takes a special person to become an advocate. It requires the gift of friendship, a genuine caring nature and compassion.
Peter's Story
This is a story about, not a lost boy, but rather a forgotten man. Peter* was 62 when he first came timidly to Citizen Advocacy Western Sydney (CAWS). He did not come alone but was brought by his friend Roy* who was already involved with CAWS.
As soon as Peter returned to the farm where he lived, he went and told the staff what he and his friend had done, afraid that he would get in trouble. Peter had lived in the farm for over thirty years and was liked by staff and other residents, or as the staff of the farm would say "by the boys". Yes at 62 Peter was being called a boy by people half his age.
Two years later Peter once again approached CAWS and that’s where I come into this story. I became Peter’s crisis advocate and my job was to check that Peter was O.K. about moving into the community. He wanted to live in a flat with Roy. Peter and I discussed this many times before I started to look at assisting him to move.
The first thing we did was to open a bank account for Peter. This wasn’t easy, as Peter did not have any identification documents except for pension and Medicare cards.
I approached several services about teaching Peter living skills but they all stated that he had to first live in the community.
After getting a verbal agreement from one service that they would assist Peter when he moved into their area, Peter and I put in an application with the Department of Housing.
While we waited, Peter and I started to look at units to rent. After some time we located a two bedroom unit in the Holroyd area which was close to shops and transport. However, as we signed the papers Roy moved to a transitional group home and Peter had to pay most of his pension on his rent.
The other problem with the move was that Peter was on the wrong side of the tracks, literally, and the service that had said they would assist was not able to as Peter was out of area.
The first two services that I was able to get for Peter were Meals on Wheels and Neighbour Aid. Peter was getting filling, cheap food and a visitor every second weekend. Peter WAS on a number of waiting lists for services.
Kaye (CAWS co-ordinator) put Peter and I onto Wesley Mission. A worker there helped Peter to get on the priority list with the Department of Housing. Not only on the priority listing but also at the top of the list. Kaye also found another transitional living service that had a vacancy.
While Kaye was spreading her magic, I had finally gotten Peter some assistance. Twice a week Peter was receiving living skills training.
The transitional living service that Kaye put us onto offered Peter a place in a three bedroom house in Northmead. Two weeks later the Department of Housing offered him a place as well.
We deferred the unit offered by the Department of Housing and Peter was getting the amount and quality of support he required to live (mostly) independently in the community six months after he left the farm.
Peter is now living in a one room Department of Housing unit in Parramatta. He receives limited support from his service who still see him regularly. Recently he was introduced to his long-term advocates, a husband and wife and their children. For the first time he has a family (Peter grew up in orphanages).
One of the first things he told Kaye before meeting this family was that they could not have any say in how he spends his money. So my timid Peter is now a confident man. A confident man who has so many friends they he now turns down social invitations. He even saved up recently and went on holidays ALONE over the Easter Weekend, to a resort in the Blue Mountains. He has purchased new clothes and new furniture to replace the second hand furniture we purchased last year.
He still rings me (we’re still friends aren’t we Wendy?) After the year and a half we spent together the answer is yes, but it’s a tired, and a joyous yes. Yes, Peter we will always be friends. By Wendy (CAWS advocate)
Reaching for the Stars - Bob's Story
About two years ago, an advocacy group in the Eastern Suburbs solicited a dear friend of mine for possible advocates. Apparently they had been annoying this friend for a number of years without any results! He discussed with me my feeling about advocacy and made reference to a crumpled pamphlet. During the haggling with the Eastern suburbs group about driving an extra 60 kilometres a week, the address of a more local office was given to me.
After many successful meetings with Kaye and Jodie and heaps of other people, I was introduced to *Bob so that he and I could decide if things seemed right for us. To be truthful I don’t think my decision was to be his advocate. I think that the key is an ongoing commitment to be his friend. I had heard so much about some advocates fighting with paid services that our match didn’t seem to fit the same mould.
To me, Bob seemed a bit withdrawn and suffering from low self esteem. He wasn’t very decisive and this allowed everyone to continuously walk over him. He lives in a group home where blissful contentment reigns supreme and the nasty outside world is nicely insulated away.
One of the first things that Bob and I did together was to go for a long bush walk one cold and misty morning to find out what he enjoyed.
Once I discovered that he liked anything and began to trust me it seemed obvious that we had to do just about everything! Bob showed his appreciation at being on top of mountains or in unusual places with an unmistakeable smile. Then followed social introductions to some of my friends and activities as far flung as bushwalks in the forests at Wollongong, going shopping, visiting Buddhist Temples, looking around Sydney’s landmarks, etc. Bob is growing in confidence and more importantly, a belief in himself. I think that he is beginning to understand that his ideas matter, that his point of view is meaningful, that what he has to say should be heard. He asks for explanations instead of simple answers. By giving Bob wide experiences, I think that he has grown away from the constraints that other people have imposed on him.
I think that I have changed with Bob. In asking Bob to venture step by step outside of his understanding of himself, I have had to validate the direction I bring to him as not just being a reflection of my own choices. It is people like Bob that force us to ask the right questions and confront ourselves with the answers. On the other hand I haven’t been required to stand up for Bob’s rights to anything like the degree that some of the advocates have needed to. I haven’t been required to write letters to government departments, for example, demanding social justice. All I have done is shown Bob the stars and watched him reach for them. By Thomas (CAWS advocate)