Annie in wonderland

 Whether you’re packing for a day centre client, a busy professional, or anyone in between, the right bag makes all the difference. Backpacks aren’t just for students—working professionals, therapists, and allied health practitioners rely on them too for ergonomics and ease of use. In this long-form guide, we’ll merge practical tips, specialist advice, and real-world considerations so you can choose—and customize—the perfect backpack or bag for your loved one. 1. Start With What They’ll Be Doing Activities & Outings : Will they join community trips, cooking classes, art therapy, gardening, gym sessions? Bags for off-site excursions need to be durable and water-resistant. Storage & Transport : Are bags stored in lockers, left under chairs, or piled on a bus? If they’re frequently moved, look for a backpack that’s tough yet discreet. Support Level : Do they have full-time assistance, or do they navigate independently? Independent users benefit most from backpacks with easy-ac...

Cyclones are no joke, but sometimes a little humour can help lighten the mood while you hunker down. If you're in the path of Cyclone Alfred (or any big storm), you might be thinking of ways to pass the time while staying safe. So, why not create the most inappropriate cyclone playlist ever? Here are some songs you probably shouldn’t blast during a storm—along with some real tips for staying safe and managing anxiety. The Ultimate Cyclone Soundtrack (That You Shouldn’t Actually Play) For the Adults: "Rock You Like a Hurricane" – Scorpions (Way too on the nose.) "Blowin’ in the Wind" – Bob Dylan (We get it, Bob. We really do.) "Umbrella" – Rihanna (Not going to help much in cyclone-force winds.) "Here Comes the Rain Again" – Eurythmics (And again… and again.) "Riders on the Storm" – The Doors (We’d rather not, thanks.) "I Can’t Stand the Rain" – Tina Turner (Relatable.) "Thunderstruck" – AC/DC (If you hear...

Real Advice from Experienced Support Workers The following advice comes directly from experienced support workers. These are real insights, shared to help new workers navigate the challenges of the job. Support work is incredibly rewarding, but it also comes with its own unique pressures. Learning from those who have been in the field can make all the difference. Document everything —it protects you. Don’t assume a client knows how to do something—always check and support them as needed. If you go off script (e.g., making decisions that aren’t yours to make), the responsibility falls on you, not management. Label everything if you want it to come home. Avoid wearing your best clothes to work—they will get stained. There will be a lot of paperwork, so staying organized is key. Keeping on top of everything is challenging, but it’s an important part of the role. Listen to experienced staff , but don’t be afraid to bring fresh ideas to the table. You don’t “own” shifts or cli...

   Hey all, this is going to be a controversial post, and it ties into the overview of the podcast this year. There are some dangerous lines that you shouldn’t utter in front of management. In support and care work, I’ve learned from talking with support workers that there is never truly “nothing to do.” So here are some suggestions for support workers in in-home care or SIL homes. I want to address something I’ve heard people say: “I’m not a cleaner,” or “I can’t do that because of an injury.” If that’s the case, it’s worth asking: is it safe for you to continue as a support worker, or should you focus on roles like community access? There are no ifs, buts, or maybes around this—personal care and cleaning are a significant part of the job, even in community access. Many people see support work glorified on social media and only realise later that it involves much more effort, cleaning, and planning than they anticipated. When it feels like there’s “nothing to do,” that’s o...

I’ve had a lot of questions lately about why I don’t dive into “on-the-ground activism” in the disability community. While I respect the passion behind it, my approach centers on accountability, respect for support staff, and a focus on the bigger picture. Here’s why I’ve chosen a different path. Accountability vs. Excuses In my experience, accountability is often misinterpreted as negativity. My approach emphasizes responsibility, transparency, and a willingness to learn from mistakes. Yet, I’ve noticed that when I bring up the need for accountability in disability support structures, it often rubs some people the wrong way. Instead of acknowledging areas where we could improve, disagreements are often dismissed as ableist. But accountability isn’t criticism for the sake of it—it’s a crucial part of ensuring that services work as they should. Respecting Support Staff A big part of advocacy should be about building respect and understanding for support staff, who work hard within the l...

So, I know that I have been neglecting the blog and using ChatGPT far too much, and I know people can see that. However, it is a tool—a very new tool—and we don’t yet know what the long-term implications are. Here's why I’ve been neglecting the blog, and there are a couple of reasons for it. The most important is that I’ve been spending quality time with the people in my life who are important to me. The second reason is that the podcast is taking off, which is amazing. It’s also wonderful to see the support from guests who are willing to give up their time. A special shoutout to Debbi Lund for being a regular guest! Another reason is that I can reach a wider audience on YouTube, which is also taking off, but it’s impacting my margins of time and priorities. However, I’m now at a place where I can refocus and get organized. For me, part of that means carving out time for the blog again. Additionally, the platform I use for blogging makes it hard to get monetized. To be honest, the ...

Understanding the Recent NDIS Changes: What They Mean for Clients The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has undergone significant legislative changes, and it’s important to understand how these will impact clients moving forward. These changes were introduced through the NDIS Amendment (Participant Service Guarantee and Other Measures) Act 2022 and reflect updates designed to streamline services, enhance participant outcomes, and prepare for the future of disability support. In addition to these changes, discussions around the role of support coordinators evolving into navigators are a key feature in the National Disability Roadmap . In this post, we’ll break down the most significant changes to the NDIS, what the potential shift to navigators means, and how this fits into the overall disability support strategy. 1. Participant Service Guarantee The Participant Service Guarantee is a cornerstone of the recent NDIS changes, ensuring quicker and clearer processes for decisi...

The Dark Side of Disability Advocacy: Inclusivity, Hierarchies, and Respect for Different Journeys Disability advocacy is a crucial movement that seeks to uplift marginalized voices, promote inclusivity, and ensure that the needs of people with disabilities are met. However, as with any movement, there are areas of concern that, if left unaddressed, can create harm within the very community advocacy seeks to protect. Issues like hierarchy, exclusion, and manipulation are all too common and must be discussed if we are to build a truly inclusive space for all. The Hierarchy of Disability: Exclusion of Hidden Disabilities One of the most concerning aspects within disability advocacy is the development of an unspoken hierarchy—where individuals with visible or more severe disabilities often dominate the conversation, leaving those with hidden or higher-functioning disabilities feeling excluded. This hierarchy is not only harmful but also counterproductive to the goals of true inclusivity. ...

Why the NDIS Needs a Deficits-Based Funding System The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was designed to support people with disabilities in accessing the services they need to live more independent lives. However, there’s a growing concern that the current funding structure, which leans heavily on skills-based assessments, isn’t providing the most effective support. What we truly need is a deficits-based funding system—where funding is tied to a person’s limitations, with support focused on building the necessary skills to improve quality of life. The Flaws of a Skills-Based Funding System At first glance, a skills-based system may seem logical—funding is allocated based on what people can already do. However, this approach overlooks the reality that many participants need support precisely because of what they cannot do without assistance. It assumes that everyone has a certain baseline of ability, and the funding builds from there, which is simply not the case for many pe...

  Picture this: you're stuck in a system that's supposed to support you, but all it does is fall short at every turn. Your needs aren't being met, your voice isn't being heard, and the frustration is building with each passing day. Enter manifesting – the latest trend in self-care – offering a tantalizing escape route from your troubles. But here's the catch: your troubles aren't just going to vanish into thin air. They're deeply rooted in systemic failures, conveniently overlooked by the glittery facade of manifesting. Let's shine a light on the elephant in the room: NDIS agencies. These are supposed to be the lifelines for people with disabilities, providing essential support and services to improve their quality of life. But what happens when these agencies fail to deliver? What happens when the funding dries up, leaving clients stranded in a sea of unmet needs? For many, manifesting someone out of their life isn't just about convenience – it'...

  Agness Baden Powell   Olive Baden Powell These two powerhouse ladies created Girl Guides and within that movement pushed for the inclusion of children with physical disabilities or who had been in hospitals long term particularly the great Ormond set hospital to have units in the hospital furthering their education and training in a way that wouldn’t have been possible, in any other way. This led to others creating hospital schools and remote schooling such as correspondence schooling, which has led to what we now know as the “ social” inclusion model of disability support and care.  Also, we need to acknowledge the support and guidance of the adult vollenters and leaders for women and girls in this worldwide organization that has led the way in inclusion for people with a disability through the model of "extension building"  Sister Kenney, who created a method of using hot towels and massaging the muscles as well as exercise for children who survived pol...

 <script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-4981013962895893"      crossorigin="anonymous"></script>   Hey all, I am taking a break from blogging and YouTube at the request of some people close to me. However, I need to say that I will be doing a one-off blog post on the Disability Royal Commission. I feel that we need space to process the outcomes and what is in the report and I feel like other disability advocates are much better qualified to talk about it than me, I am feeling the need to amplify voices that have been in the lead in the Disability Royal Commission, we see that people are still processing it and the larger term changes that it is going to bring. These changes are something that we need to be very much are needed but they need to be balanced with the needs of the larger community and changing attitudes towards people with disabilities, and how we are treated by professionals and...

 This is going to be a short and sweet post and a post that I wanted to do and it is because people are starting to see support workers as not something to be ashamed of but they starting to be seen as a normal thing that people with a disability that have access to the NDIS might choose to use there are several forms of support and this is where things get complex. One is housing so this is mainly Sil housing ( supported independent living)  that has been established by a support provider and this depends on the person's needs and funding ratios, this is where ratios of support come in so this could be that you are either a 1:3 so that being one support worker to three clients, or a 1:2 or needing around the clock care being a 1:1 so this being one person to one support worker but in a housing situation its very rare.  I don’t like the term parents as we are the main character in our lives and not just a participant this is why I use client I know in some international...

  So, I must just get this out of my system, and I am seeing why I am not manifesting what I want in my life. The first one is I am not putting in the work, so the meditation to find the blockages in my life as are becoming very apparent to me, and some things I can’t control but others I can, and I am willing to tell you why. In my house (I live in what is called a SIL house, this is short for Supported Independent Living) it’s a type of housing for people with disability but is more for people with mental health needs or like myself psychosocial disabilities. So, people who would otherwise fall between the cracks in support, but we have one support worker that through the virtue of her relationship’s in the company. She is essentially allowed to get away with a lot more and simply feels the need to be the adult in the room and “direct traffic, this is annoying the other support workers as they have had to pick up the slack due to them not being able to speak up to management du...

This is a post that I really didn’t want to write about, but I am sad to say that it needs to be written about and understood. As there is a massive difference between a support worker that just needs more training and education and I bad support worker. The support worker that needs more training is doing their best to become a good support worker and to work with a client, they know that they need more skills and to be able to work with the client not against them. We also see that people don’t want to do the basics of support they come into the industry thinking that it’s all fun and games but it’s at times this but at times a lot of hard work both emotionally and physically. When I am talking about the basics I am talking about, making sure there living is clean and hygienic, that they have food in the fridge, that they are sticking to a basic budget, that they have community connections, weather that be a day centre or other meaningful activities, and that these activities are...

I have noticed since the NDIS has come through that person who qualifies for it doesn’t know what they can do with a support worker in the community, so I am doing this post to do what you can do and this is something that we need to discuss and some of the things would be developmental age approached, but we see that people need to be aware that you can do lots of things with a support worker, the first thing is you need to establish your goals, so do you need help in the house so this is where you can get into a good morning and evening routine.   Depending on your budget there is a lot you can do and then, you can work out the skills that you want to develop it might be housework and cleaning, but then it might be like myself more in-depth so actively looking for things to be off the internet so, I know that  1.          The public library is always a good starting point, so they often have more than just books but games, and CDs ...

This is a really basic question that we see needs to be answered, and we see that it is something that we need to be aware of the people outside the NDIS don’t really understand the jargon that is within the NDIS and I am hoping that this year I can break it down a lot more but, a Support Coordinator is someone who helps you navigate the NDIS so it could be a person who attached to an agency or independent. I find that going independent works for me much better than someone being with an agency and this is due to the fact that I have had bad support coordinators they were doing dual roles, so I found that this isn’t a great idea but for others, it might work really well. So a support coordinator is someone who helps you navigate appointments, sets up service agreements and helps you to be able to work towards your goals and if you need a change of circumstances or are coming up to a plan review we see that this is where the really get to shine in that they specialize in building go...