Clyde
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.
Clyde lives with permanent injuries from a road crash nearly 30 years ago. He has trouble standing and walking for long periods.
After the crash, Clyde began receiving the Disability Support Pension. However, he wanted to work.
‘I did a vocational assessment at the Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service to see what sort of career to do, and it came through as film and media and TV studies.’
Clyde told the Royal Commission he received a study supplement to complete degrees in film and the arts.
When he graduated and tried to find a job, he was told it was ‘too hard’ to get work in that sector.
‘It appears to me that they put you in this box so that you are … studying, and then once you have done your studies you are back where you were.’
Clyde said he discovered he had ‘too many qualifications’ to qualify for the Disability Support Pension. He was encouraged to study aged care, ‘a growth area’ that would ‘suit [his] disability’.
Clyde now works in aged care as a nurse.
‘I work about an eight-hour shift and I’m on my feet for about six or seven hours, and it’s pretty hard. I don’t know how long I’m going to be able to keep doing this.’
Since his accident, Clyde had surgery on his knees and ankles ‘to enable [him] to do the work’, but he still wants a job that doesn’t require so much standing and walking.
‘I’m too worn out after I do my work at night time to go look at work … you sort of give up trying to find other work because you’re only banging your head against a brick wall.’
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.