Patrick and Ophelia
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.
Patrick is in his 20s, autistic and has mild intellectual disability.
‘He's my pride and joy,’ his mum, Ophelia, told the Royal Commission. ‘Biggest blessing, but we've had our challenges.’
Although Patrick could read and write before starting school, Ophelia struggled to find a school willing to take him.
‘We finally managed to enrol him in our local public school … They made it clear from the beginning they didn't want him there. They excluded him.’
Ophelia, who was born in Africa, said one of Patrick’s teachers asked his aide if his family was Muslim.
‘[The aide] said, "No, they're Catholic. But what's that got to do with it?" And he said, "Well, we all know what people of that culture and race are like with their boys. Their boys have their parents wrapped around their finger, as this boy does.”’
Kids bullied Patrick at school.
One day, a group of boys pushed him into the toilets, flushed his hat down a toilet, and slammed his arm in a door. When he tried to get away, a teacher saw Patrick kicking. The principal suspended him.
‘I was told that the school doesn't tolerate violence and kicking. So, it was okay for him to be subjected to violence, but when he was defending himself he was suspended. His words were, "Mum, please let me go back to school. I promise not to kick the boys even when they are putting my head down the toilet.”’
Ophelia transferred Patrick to a private school.
‘He was lonely at school, but the bullying was bearable up until a certain point. But … the thing that upset me the most is they had no expectation that he could learn, so they didn't teach him.’
Instead, he was put in a room ‘to waste the day away’.
‘They would tell us that there was a program, but there was nothing. Other than what we taught him, he learned very little at school.’
After leaving school, Patrick became good at public speaking and now speaks at conferences about bullying and autism.
‘If the schools just developed the skills he had, where could he be?’
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.