Plan B...

Published in 'Newslink', Headstart ABI Service; June 2015

After the closure of the Salvation Army Welfare Centre, I returned to a disability employment provider once more. With both they and Centrelink, I signed an Employment Pathway Plan (EPP) and a Participation Plan. Observations made by others and research led me to seriously consider training to be an Assistant in Nursing (AIN).

Aged Care seemed the most sensible of options, and sussing things out showed a few possibilities. The best one seemed to be the Cert III at Glendale TAFE. This opportunity which showed real promise once the support given to disabled students was explained.

Then the bombshell was dropped: under the Smart + Skilled guidelines, I would remain ineligible for government assistance. Why? Because my previously attained qualification (Diploma vs Cert III) superseded it! In my case, the course would actually cost $6,000…far beyond my means!

So what now? Well, I have another few cards up my sleeve- we are checking those out. Frustrating, yes, and at seeming at times to come at the cost of my independence, but it has not always been that bad. For one thing, having my mother by my side has always helped, as both she and the parties involved have come at the problem from an angle I simply couldn’t consider.

Sometimes the hoops disabled people must jump are likened to being a “minefield”. Let’s be honest, though- there’s no way I could navigate them half as well on my own! Often too, I reflect on what the composer Gustav Mahler is remembered for saying: “my time will come.” What matters most now is that for the first time since school ended, the path seems much clearer: music, writing and employment in aged care. More details will follow, but that will just have to wait…