Brantley and Marissa
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.
Marissa is the mother of Brantley, who is in his 20s and lives with developmental delay and intellectual and physical disability. Brantley uses a wheelchair and is non-verbal.
‘Very early on we discovered he had lots of disabilities and lots of medical problems,’ Marissa told the Royal Commission.
When Brantley turned 17, Marissa placed him in a group home run by the state government.
‘We were really happy. It was all in one spot, you know, where he had the care that he needed … your physio, your OT [occupational therapist], your speech therapist, they were all there and worked with everyone in the group home. Now that really worked well for us.’
Marissa said the home was ‘a community’ for the residents and families. ‘We're a community for each other, as well.’
When a service provider took over the home several years ago, things changed.
‘I’m not here today to say that [Brantley] himself has been abused or anything like that in any way,’ Marissa told the Royal Commission, ‘but I just really feel that there is underlying discrimination.’
When the government managed the home, the families of residents were consulted when new staff were employed.
‘The staff that were there were absolutely fabulous.’
Marissa said family members helped choose new staff.
‘If we really want people like [Brantley] … to have real say, we have to be involved in that process.’
Marissa said the new service provider didn’t seem to understand why that was important.
‘So, we had a situation where we sent a family member along to what we thought was a panel. What had happened is that the two people [from the company] had pre-interviewed this person and then presented it [as], “This is a person we've picked, you can ask them questions,” but it was a done and dusted deal.’
Marissa said ‘there was a lot of problems’ with the new staff member, which included them ‘bullying and harassing [other] staff’.
‘We tried to explain to [the management] that the staff were like [Brantley's] family … They were the people there, day in and day out looking after him, caring for him. Making sure he was okay. So, they are the second most important people to us as the families, because we wanted to make them happy, and the fact [was] we ended up in a situation where they were being bullied and harassed.’
Marissa said the service provider, without consulting the residents, recently turned the home’s family room into an office.
‘I explained, “Your landlord or your bank can't walk into your house and say, I'm now taking this room over for an office” … It’s [the residents’] home. And they're very keen to say that's their home, but when it came to something like that [the management] could not understand, I think, until I very blatantly pointed it out to them by saying "You're discriminating against people with disabilities.”’
Brantley has calcium leaching to his kidneys and two metal rods in both legs. He needs regular pain relief. Marissa said that despite Brantley’s increasing need for support, the NDIA recently cut his funding.
‘We've asked for an internal review of the nursing levels for [Brantley]. Which, for us, is just another element of stress and anxiety … Now that we've moved to the NDIS, it just feels like a huge fight all the time to get what [Brantley] needs.’
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.