Iker
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.
‘I was born with this hearing problem which led to speech impediments and a stutter,’ Iker told the Royal Commission. As a young child his family and friends accepted him, and it wasn’t until he started school that he was marked out as different. ‘That’s when all the problems started,’ he said.
With his hearing and speech difficulties, Iker learnt slowly. Teachers punished him by making him sit at the back of the classroom, which made learning even harder. His classmates bullied him, calling him ‘spastic’ and ‘mongoloid’. Students continued to bully him in high school, and he left at 14.
Iker is now in his late 50s. He has been diagnosed with dyslexia and finds it hard to absorb information and to read.
These challenges, along with his hearing and speech difficulties, caused problems in Iker’s working life. He was victimised and exploited in multiple workplaces, and left jobs often as he felt he couldn’t defend himself.
‘I can’t communicate, like, I freeze up when people – I'd rather walk away.’
In the mid-1990s Iker began psychotherapy, and through this process was diagnosed with a work-related psychological injury.
‘There was compounding things happening,’ he said. ‘So I first went in for work-related issues because of all the bullying, and then that’s when I found I had a disability, once I started disclosing.’
Iker has been on a Disability Support Pension for several decades. He applied for the NDIS and was refused. He doesn’t know why. The paperwork was ‘just too much’ for him.
Iker did not have any assistance with his NDIS application. He has had matters in court. A community housing provider once evicted him over a technicality in his agreement with them, rendering him homeless. Iker had no support in any of these matters.
Iker said that if he wants to make a complaint to an organisation or agency, they typically require him to do so in writing. They do not accommodate his difficulties with literacy or offer any support. Nor have any of them ever referred him to disability advocacy services.
Iker believes such organisations should be required to refer people with disabilities to services that can provide independent support and advocacy. He thinks housing providers should employ disability officers to help with forms and navigating the system.
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.