Krystal and Nat
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.
Krystal is about to start high school. She is autistic and has epilepsy.
‘She's really, really brilliant. She was born into the world smiling,’ her mum Nat told the Royal Commission. ‘They would do IQ tests and say, “She has a very low IQ. She's basically untestable.” And right from then, we knew life was going to be a challenge with the system, because we could see her intellect.’
Krystal is non-verbal. When Nat enrolled Krystal in kindergarten, the teachers ignored her.
‘We would ask them about her day and they would say, “Oh, she just was outside.” Like it must have been about two hours just looking at the tree.’
Nat took Krystal out of kindergarten and taught her at home, where she discovered Krystal communicates best through a technique using letter boards.
‘She told us she wanted to go to school. So, very nervously, we sent her to [a special school]. And then we started talking to them about how she communicates and what she needs.’
Nat said the teachers were supportive at first, but ‘weren't really interested’ in helping Krystal learn academically.
‘The bar is really low, you know … [The teachers] weren’t really interested in what I was saying about her academics and I think it’s because they just had no idea of what to do.’
Nat said she taught Krystal literacy and numeracy at home, ‘because if she can’t show them she knows, they don’t believe she [can do it]’.
After a couple of years in which Krystal became ‘bored doing the same thing’ at the special school, Nat enrolled her in a mainstream school for several hours a week to give her a better education.
‘The amount of times that professionals and teachers don't listen to the personal experience of the parent is just shocking to me …That's why we decided to try dual enrolment … If I had let it go, nothing would have ever happened. I had to be dogged.’
Krystal is about to start the dual enrolment with a mainstream high school, and the NDIS has agreed to fund her personal care needs and a support worker.
‘Once [the high school] really saw what she can do with her communication partner and why it's such a necessary support for [Krystal], they were amazing. I think they were actually excited about it. And we'll see how it plays out.’
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.