Fabiola
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.
‘I sometimes feel like a pioneer paving the way for a better future. We need more people with a disability and diverse background at the table to enable change that will grow the economy, shift expectations and deliver outcomes.’
Fabiola shared with the Royal Commission her experiences living with disability and working in the disability sector.
When Fabiola was in her early teens, she collapsed suddenly and was rushed to hospital. Extensive tests to find out the cause meant a long stay in the local children’s hospital.
Fabiola recalls seeing the fear in her parent’s eyes when they learned she had an aneurysm in her brain, and there was no safe way to operate. English was a second language for Fabiola and her family. ‘I had no idea what this all meant, let alone how to explain it in Italian. I put a smile on my face and kept smiling most of the time,’ Fabiola said.
Fabiola’s acquired brain injury caused paralysis to her left side. Medical staff told her they were moving her to a rehabilitation centre. Fabiola and her parents were devastated when they arrived to find it was an institution. Her parents protested, but a social worker told them they would be unable to care for their other two children and Fabiola at the same time. Fabiola recalls her parents leaving reluctantly.
Her mum returned the next morning to hear Fabiola screaming from her room – she needed to go to the toilet but was unable to move. Her mum observed nursing staff having a coffee break while Fabiola and her roommate were calling out for help. When her mum complained about the way the girls were being treated, the hospital responded by referring her for psychiatric treatment.
This happened many years ago, but Fabiola wonders whether anything has changed.
After she finished her schooling Fabiola went on to university. With the help of an equal employment opportunity grant she found work in a mainstream organisation. As time went on, however, Fabiola found herself missing out on career opportunities while others around her were progressing.
Eventually, she moved to an organisation in the disability sector. The experience reminded Fabiola of the way people treated her in the institution.
She says there is a culture in the disability sector of ‘devoting resources to discredit people with a disability rather than investing in the development of people with a disability … of creating barriers, turf protection and derriere covering’.
Fabiola is concerned that ‘some of the culture that exists in disability organisations may have found its way to the NDIS’.
Fabiola is now pursuing opportunities as a company director, seeking to change boardroom culture. She believes that violence and abuse against people with a disability can be compared to violence and abuse against women, saying both issues require a change in attitudes.
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.