Lorelei and Gerardo

Lorelei, early 40s, has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder.

She told the Royal Commission she is from a culturally and linguistically diverse background, and in her culture her disabilities were perceived as shameful. As a child, no-one sought any support or treatment for her. Lorelei experienced child sexual abuse and, as an adult, her partner physically abused her.

For the past decade Lorelei has been working in the police department. Following the birth of her son Gerado, around eight years ago, Lorelei took maternity leave. When she returned from leave there were issues with Gerado’s behaviour and she couldn’t obtain full-time care for him. She had to take extra time off work and noticed her colleagues started bullying her.

They made ‘racist comments’ and ‘tampered with her computer and work things’. Staff would move her mobile lockable work drawers and she would spend the first 15 minutes of her shift looking for them. Her manager openly reprimanded her for being ‘distracted’ and wasting time.

She explained that because of her ADHD she ‘couldn’t stay still’ and would get up and go to the bathroom more frequently than other people. Staff made ‘hurtful’ comments about this. Lorelei asked to see an onsite psychologist but her manager refused to allow it because it would be ‘taking time away’ from her duties. The manager also warned her there was ‘stigma attached’ to a staff member needing help from a psychologist. She asked to move to a different unit but her manager refused.

Lorelei’s mental health deteriorated and she took sick leave. She attempted to report the bullying but avenues were either not available or blocked. People didn’t think she was a ‘credible witness’ because of her disability. Lorelei said there was ‘no transparency’ within the police department.

Ultimately, she made a workers’ compensation claim but her claim was rejected. Lorelei said the police department interfered with the process.

Meanwhile Gerado’s behaviours were becoming more challenging. He would have ‘violent outbursts’ and often ‘strip naked in public places’. In preschool he was diagnosed with autism. Mainstream schools wouldn’t accommodate his behaviours so Lorelei sent him to a special school.

In 2018 Gerado received NDIS early childhood intervention support. He made progress and music therapy helped him become verbal. With the assistance of an exercise physiologist he was able to do regular exercise and his coordination improved. Two support workers helped him go to the toilet, shower, dress himself for school and feed himself. An occupational therapist helped him with his diet.

However, the support was short-lived. After six months a review ‘was triggered’. By the time it was completed, four months later, Gerado had turned seven and was no longer eligible for early childhood intervention funding. All supports were removed ‘immediately’ except for 53 hours of occupational therapy a year. Gerado started ‘regressing in his behaviours’, lost speech and ‘became antisocial’.

At one stage Lorelei was getting a phone call from the school every second day to come and collect Gerado. He’d lock himself in the bathroom and there would be a ‘siege type situation’.

Lorelei requested multiple reviews, to no avail.

‘My frustration is, the way that NDIS reviews are, the delegate doesn’t have contact with you so they wouldn’t know how the person’s disabilities affect them in their day-to-day lives. They just go off pieces of paper.’

The NDIA said Gerado’s supports ‘fall under parental responsibility’ and accused Lorelei of trying to ‘shirk’ her responsibility. Lorelei disclosed her own disabilities and provided a psychiatric report. ‘They just said, “too bad”.’ She is appealing through the administrative review tribunal.

‘As a taxpayer, I’m frustrated that rather than seeing the funds go towards getting support for people with disability, it’s being spent on lawyers.’