Iona and Bobbie
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.
Iona is autistic and has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
‘She is a beautifully bubbly [woman in her 20s] who is highly articulate with lots of opinions as a young person should, and is a lot of fun to be with,’ her mum Bobbie told the Royal Commission.
Iona was diagnosed as a toddler.
‘We were lucky, I think, in that we had really good people around us and got an early diagnosis. So we knew what we were working with and we had the means to put lots of things in place to support her and to support us.’
Bobbie said the local primary school was ‘responsive’.
‘They were inclusive and she loved it.’
Iona attended a Catholic high school because of the support it provided.
‘The [school support worker] was a really good conduit between what was happening for her and talking to specific classroom teachers, to make sure that they knew … He was just a really responsive person, I guess the kind of person that as a parent we often say, “That person really gets it.”’
When Iona left school to go to university, she struggled because the supports weren’t there.
‘If you are a person with … a mild intellectual disability, there are a lot of services post-high school, [but] there’s a really big gap for the cohort that my daughter falls into where she doesn’t qualify for any of these other programs,’ Bobbie said. ‘She actually is just thrown out there into the world to survive.’
For example, at university Iona failed several subjects only because she didn’t complete the paperwork.
‘You have to go every semester and fill in forms and talk about all the issues and request it. And when you are someone who is lacking in executive functioning and organisational skills, getting all of those things in place every single semester always just doesn’t happen.’
Iona also struggles to find a part-time job.
‘For that age group … the only options are things like retail and hospitality. And if you have autism and you’ve got lots of sensory challenges and you can’t stand noisy places, both of those places [aren’t suitable].’
Bobbie found a disability employment service, but ‘all they did with her was rewrite her CV multiple times’.
‘The biggest thing that I’m disappointed in around that life transition is the difficulties around inclusion and not having the same access to the same pathways and opportunities and supports. [Iona] doesn’t have those and she needs them essentially.’
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.