Rene and Marlene
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.
Rene is a First Nations man in his early 20s. He has dyslexia, dyspraxia and a congenital heart condition.
‘I have managed to maintain a very happy bubble for him to live in,’ his mother Marlene told the Royal Commission. ‘I just wanted him to be able to live as much as possible if his life was shortened.’
Schooling him ‘with his dyslexia’ in the early years was ‘a very hard journey’.
‘He started to get behind and the kids started to bully him – and he wasn't immune to the bullying … He struggled, and a paediatrician said, "You are going to have to get him out of school to give him half a chance."’
Marlene and Rene moved interstate for ‘fresh air, sunshine and a fresh start’. She decided to homeschool her son. He was ‘very much a home boy’, ‘frightened to be out in the world and needed encouraging’.
When Rene was in high school, the education department started ‘threatening deregistration’ if Marlene didn’t register Rene for homeschooling under his father’s name.
She was ‘panicking’ because of the ‘constant threat’ of her ex-husband taking Rene back.
Rene wanted to do a 6-month course in wildlife management. Marlene had to ‘fight like crazy’ for approval for him to do that at the same time as homeschooling.
Teachers gave him ‘no support at all’ for his dyslexia.
‘They did the English comprehension test, and because he had passed with 65 per cent they said he doesn't need support.’
Marlene noticed Rene was ‘getting behind’ and not finishing assignments. When she asked teachers about it they said, ‘Oh, he's probably not going to pass.’
‘[I] couldn't believe what was happening … He’d been working with animals since he was nine years old. Many, many hours of volunteer work. And he was just lovely with animals … Yet he's going to fail.’
In year 10, the education department deregistered Rene ‘because of his lack of progress in writing and maths’.
Because of the deregistration, Centrelink accused Rene of skipping school and claimed thousands of dollars in child support payments. Marlene was ‘petrified’ after using all her savings to school him.
The deregistration process also triggered family law proceedings. Rene was ‘so distressed’, he ended up having a breakdown.
Following a long period of counselling, today he is ‘happy and he’s working’.
‘And, you know, he's everything that I hope I raised him to be. These kids who are on the spectrum are so talented and so amazing.’
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.