Dwyer
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‘It proved to me that they didn't have the system, they didn't have a way to let blind people know what was going on.’
Dwyer, later 40s, is autistic and visually impaired. He lives independently but relies on support workers to help with almost all daily tasks.
In 2020 Dwyer ‘had a nasty cough’ that wouldn’t go away. His disability support agency cancelled all his support workers until he had a COVID-19 test. Dwyer rang around trying to get an in-home test to no avail. He contacted the agency, ‘very frustrated’, and they agreed a worker could take him to a drive-through testing clinic. The clinic told him he would have the results within 24 hours.
Dwyer asked the clinic to telephone him with the results rather than send a text message. He explained, being blind, he would not be able to read a text message. He also asked the clinic to send his result to his support agency and expressly provided his consent for them to do this.
Dwyer spent the remainder of the day isolating at home. He would usually go out with a support worker but understood the necessity of staying home to ensure everyone was safe.
Twenty-four hours later Dwyer had not received a result. He became increasingly worried because his support workers were not able to come to his home and he had no other support. He asked the support agency to help him track down his test results.
A few hours later, still no result, Dwyer phoned the government agency responsible for testing. They couldn’t provide any information and told him he just had to wait. They encouraged him to contact the clinic the following morning.
The next morning, the clinic told him they could only send the results by text message.
By this stage, Dwyer was feeling ‘very isolated and frustrated’.
Dwyer’s support agency also started hassling him. They needed his test results because the support worker who had taken Dwyer to be tested could not work with other clients until they knew Dwyer’s result.
After several more phone calls, including to his advocate, the clinic finally told Dwyer they had sent the results. Dwyer had not received them and asked them to tell him the results. The test was negative.
Dwyer told his support agency the test was negative but they needed the results in writing. Eventually Dwyer’s doctor was able to confirm the results.
Dwyer was very relieved because his support workers were able to return.
He then tried to book a COVID-19 vaccination but found the only way to book was online. ‘I don't even have the internet, I don't have a computer full stop.’
Dwyer rang the COVID information line and, after being on hold for 35 minutes, ‘gave up’. He tried again after work and this time was able to access the call back feature. A COVID hotline staff member rang while he was shopping with a support worker. The staff member confirmed he needed to book his vaccine appointment online.
‘I said, "I'm blind, I'm visually impaired, I don't even have the internet" and she said, "You need to book online" and I was getting pretty ropeable.’
Ultimately, Dwyer’s support worker made the booking for him using her computer. If she had not offered to help, Dwyer said, he ‘really would have been snookered’.
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.