Chad
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.
Chad is in his 20s. He is autistic and has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
‘I’ve got a lot of people that support me for who I am and for, you know, for having a disability and that’s what you need in life,’ Chad told the Royal Commission. ‘You need people that will be there for you no matter what.’
Several years ago Chad was living with his stepmother, who was ‘going through a bit of a separation’ from his father.
About that time, Chad’s father was injured in an accident and ‘couldn’t really work’. He took some money out of Chad’s account.
‘I think he was in desperation at the time … He’s paid that all back.’
Chad’s stepmother told him she would be his power of attorney.
‘I felt very uncomfortable with it, but she is a very passive-aggressive person. Like, she doesn’t physically [abuse], but she can be really verbally abusive … She does not pay things back. She doesn’t like to admit she’s wrong. And it is hard to have a person like that in your life.’
Chad said that when he was living with his stepmother he felt like a ‘prisoner in [his] own house’.
‘That’s how I felt … This is probably the reason why I have anxiety and depression, because that was a lot to do with her … I felt like I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t go out. My friends, I didn’t even see.’
Chad said after he stopped living with his stepmother, his father discovered ‘a lot of money’ missing from Chad’s account.
‘She was taking money out of my account without my acknowledgment … It got taken out and it’s completely just disappeared to another account that I don’t even know about.’
Chad said his bank couldn’t tell him where more than $20,000 from his account went.
‘[The bank] could have just said to her, “I think we need your son present whether he has a disability or not.” Yes, she has a power of attorney, but that doesn’t give her the reasonable right to … do something behind my back without me acknowledging it.’
Chad manages his own account now and lives independently in a group home.
‘I can just go, okay, I’m going out for a while or for the night or something like that, and I won’t worry about them going, “No, you can’t go out.” My life has just turned around dramatically ever since I got out of that environment.’
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.