Garry and Rea
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.
Garry’s in his 30s and lives with Asperger’s syndrome, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and avoidant personality disorder.
Garry’s mum, Rea, supported him when he spoke to the Royal Commission. Rea said Garry struggled at school and although the teachers knew he needed help, nothing happened.
‘It appeared that he would drift off at times and stuff … they wouldn’t help him. They were giving up on kids because it was complex. That’s when they should have been having interviews with parents saying, look, you know, this is where you can go for help.’
‘They knew that I had depression and anxiety,’ said Garry. ‘Like I told them, you know, I'm depressed all the time because my dad's being, you know, verbally and physically abusive in the mornings.’
Instead of helping, the school phoned his father, ‘which escalated the domestic violence at home’.
Garry’s disability wasn’t diagnosed until after he left school.
‘He could have been diagnosed with his autism many, many years ago,’ said Rea, ‘but you know, there was no guidance for parents with what to do. Some of the teachers would get frustrated and just say, you know, “he's lazy this and this.”’
Garry was recently diagnosed and began receiving NDIS support. However, he wasn’t able to use it for several months because it didn’t match his needs.
‘That's been a bit of a nightmare … They knew that I needed to book an occupational therapist to try and access more funding, and also for housing … The local area coordinator knew that I needed the occupational therapist report, didn’t contact me, didn’t return any of my calls for about three months or so.’
Garry wants to keep working, but said his health lets him down. Recently a boss sacked him because his hands were shaking.
‘I explained to him … that, you know, it's my antidepressants. I'm getting side effects that I've never had before. I was warned that this can happen … And he goes, "You're a junky, you're on drugs." I said, "No, I'm on medication" … and he goes, "I don't believe in that stuff, it's against my religion … I'm a Christian, I don't believe in this stuff." I said, "So you don't believe in medicating?" He goes, "No." And then I got sacked.’
Garry’s now on a Disability Support Pension.
‘The reality is I don’t want to be on a pension. I wanted to be working, but I’ve consistently been let go based on my physical health and my mental health … I'm not happy getting by on breadcrumbs, you know, every fortnight. Like I would like to do more with my life, but unfortunately that's not the case right now.’
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.