Neal and Rosalee
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.
Neal is in his 60s and has quadriplegia. His wife, Rosalee, is his full-time carer. They wanted to share with the Royal Commission their experiences of exploitation by wheelchair suppliers.
When Neal approached a business owner who manufactured and supplied wheelchairs, he gave Neal a couple of sample chairs to try. The chair he chose was custom fitted.
When the chair was ready Neal and Rosalee went to the shop and asked to test it before taking it home. But the chair was ‘so uncomfortable’. Rosalee said it was nothing like the chair they had trialled in their home. The owner tried to adjust the chair but Neal struggled to sit up properly. It was like ‘walking around in a pair of really uncomfortable shoes all day’.
When Neal and Rosalee complained, the owner told them ‘he had been paid and it was now [their] problem’.
Now the chair ‘sits in a corner and does not get used’.
Rosalee and Neal went to another company, and Neal trialled and ordered a new chair. They chose a lighter chair so it would be easier for Rosalee to move it in and out of the car.
But because Neal is a big man, the manufacturer decided to make a bigger chair without telling them. The chair didn’t fit in the car and it was too heavy for Rosalee to lift. The back was also too tall for Neal. The manufacturer made some adjustments but there were rough edges – he ‘just butchered it’.
‘He hounded us for the money. I couldn’t deal with the stress,’ Rosalee said.
To make matters worse the manufacturer had uploaded a photo of Neal on the chair to YouTube. They repeatedly asked him to remove the photo but he stopped taking their calls.
Neal and Rosalee went back to the old supplier and were again disappointed. The chair was delivered two months late, the tyres were the incorrect size and the front wheel snapped.
Fortunately, things have improved for Neal and Rosalee since the introduction of the NDIS. They ‘have a wonderful plan manager’ who has a son who uses a wheelchair. Rosalee ‘can’t say enough nice things about [them]’.
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.