Ryder
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.
Ryder is in his 60s and lives with post-traumatic stress disorder from childhood sexual abuse. He also has an acquired brain injury, after being struck by a car when he was in primary school.
‘I was run over from behind on the bicycle and somehow woke up three hours later in the gutter.’
Ryder told the Royal Commission that after that, he struggled at school.
‘Before the bicycle accident I had been a good student and coped well with life. However, after the accident I did not get the support that I needed, and I failed the rest of my schooling.’
Ryder said he tried to get his injuries assessed at the time – ‘however, this never occurred.’
‘The government did not want to pay any compensation. I was bullied and my parents were also threatened.’
When he was in his late teens, Ryder was involved in a car crash and, unable to work, became homeless.
When he tried to get compensation, Ryder said he received bad legal advice and a doctor ‘misdiagnosed [him] with schizophrenia’.
‘I was disbelieved and discredited.’
After another car crash and an assault, Ryder spent a lot of time in mental health facilities where he said he was forced to take medications that caused him to ‘feel like a zombie’ and lose his memory and his hair.
‘I really wanted to get married and have children, however this has not been possible due to the damaging side effects of medication and mistreatment on my mind, body and sexual functioning.’
Ryder said the abuse and his attempts to seek compensation left him ‘living in poverty’.
‘I was bankrupt twice from court cases and I have been living in social housing for many years.’
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.