Wes
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
Wes is in his 60s. He has an acquired brain injury and uses a wheelchair. He also lives with mental health issues.
‘I was hit by a semitrailer and that's why I ended up partial or incomplete paralysis,’ he told the Royal Commission. ‘Which brings you on a hell of a ride. I went to hospital and I was there for six months.’
Before the accident, Wes was ‘mistreated and misdiagnosed as [having] a mental illness’.
‘I’m a little bit on the autism side. So I still had a disability and I was working with other people with disability, from Down syndrome through to everything. Poor people straight out of the psych ward.’
Previously, Wes was on a home care package and waited two years to access the NDIS. He had a lot of trouble navigating the process.
‘They just said, like, 'Here's all the paperwork. Whamo, good luck with that.” I can honestly say, from the bottom of my heart, this is the worst experience of my life.’
Today he lives at home with 24/7 care but said the battle is not over, particularly getting equipment ‘to make life easier’.
‘We've still been trying to get the stuff that they approved … but either it couldn't be supplied or, you know. Like, there's 100 reasons they've got, none of which make any sense.’
Wes has been waiting for more than a year for upgrades to his wheelchair.
‘I've been stuck a few times … I need new tyres and some other things fixing.’
He says the companies have ‘a monopoly’.
‘I know someone that paid for a wheelchair that should've been 12 grand. $28,000 on the NDIS. It rips my heart out.’
Wes had trouble with two support workers ‘stealing’ from him.
‘They ended up invoicing under their own name. They weren't going through the provider … Because all you need's a name here to be a carer in Australia … My plan manager shut the door on them.’
Wes tried to get the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission to look into it.
‘And those are like, “I don't know what they've done wrong”. And I've just gone like, “Well mate, we got a problem. That's what I need to relay to ya.” … Would you not call it the rort system? It's an absolute diabolical mess.’
Wes said the ‘training of carers’ is a problem. He finds his support workers put him ‘at risk’ with the busy places they take him too. He’d much rather be doing outdoor activities like he used to.
‘There's so many things I had to stop being involved with since the truck hit me. Trying to work at my rehab. They said, “You’ll only need to live like that a year or two”. It’s been 15.’
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.