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The stories of seven New Zealand citizens with disabilities who are active in their communities. They have gifts, skills, talents and a huge capacity for contribution, friendship, marriage and success.
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Seven PeopleSeven Families
Sixteen Brothers and SistersTwenty Eight Grandparents
200+ Cousins, Aunties and UnclesCommunity
A World of Possibilities
This photo-story book is dedicated to the people who shared their stories with us. Thank you to Cory, Keegan,
Portia, Duncan, Michelle, Justina and Jeremy, their families and grandparents.
Funded by the Think Differently campaign led by the Ministry of Social Development.
© Copyright Parent to Parent New Zealand 2013Photographs by Bronwyn Jackson (unless otherwise acknowledged)
Designed by Matthew PryorStory writers Sue Robertson and Tony McLean of Imagine Better
Published by Parent to Parent New Zealand Inc. PO Box 234
Waikato Mail Centre, HamiltonNew Zealand 3240
a world ofpossibilities
Seven PeopleSeven Families
Sixteen Brothers and SistersTwenty Eight Grandparents
200+ Cousins, Aunties and UnclesCommunity
A World of Possibilities
A World of Possibilities is about seven New Zealand citizens who are active in their communities. The youngest is three and the eldest are in their thirties. These people are loved and love with abundance.
They live in their own homes, go to kindy, school, college and tertiary study, perform and work. They live, laugh, play, study and have fun.
They have gifts, skills, talents and huge capacity for contribution, friendship, marriage and success.Each person and their family hold a vision for what makes life good for them.
They want what you want. They want what we want. We want what they want. They are just like us.
The future looks bright.
possibilities
Cory
“When you have hope, all things are possible”
Cory talks a lot, with his eyes and his expressions. He’s a very happy
boy who’s having a very typical childhood. Right now we just want
him to enjoy being a little boy.
It (the diagnosis) did hurt at the beginning. We felt it was so unfair
for Cory. But once you see past the Autism then the road gets easier.
If we could have seen how we are now (a year later) it wouldn’t have
been so scary. We’re getting on with it and Cory’s getting on with it.
Cory starts kindy soon.
He’s a self driven learner and it will be so interesting to see how he
changes as he learns and develops. We live with hope. We embrace
Autism.
We love everything about Cory!
Keegan“He’s a whole new colour in our world.” (Keegan’s mum and dad)
A scan can’t tell you the potential of a person, or the amount of love
you can have for a person. Just after he was born we learned he had
Down syndrome. The doctor said, “Just remember he’s the same
boy as when I walked into the room. He’s the same boy!”
Because of her brother, our daughter has such a different outlook
about people; we envy her.
Keegan’s nearly five and he’s off to school soon.
There’s a whole new world of learning out there, new games to play
and new friends to make. His future holds so much promise.
“Nothing is impossible.”
“Be yourself; everyone else is taken”Oscar Wilde
I can always remember
that day in September,
When the news came through
about you.
Down syndrome they said,
but how could that be,
You looked perfectly fine to me.
Joy turned to sorrow and I started
to wonder,
Just what the future would bring
Could I look after you?
How would I cope?
I knew nothing about this thing.
The months have gone by and I have
watched you grow stronger,
And achieve many things,
some took a bit longer.
But that didn’t matter it wasn’t a race.
You’ll do things in your time and at
your own pace.
You’ve brought lots of pleasure
in just a short while.
With your cheeky grin and your
mischievous smile,
And you’ve made me laugh at the
things that you do,
Like the Susan Boyle face you pull
When the camera is pointed at you!
Life isn’t easy and is not always fair,
But with a little help I know
you’ll get there,
And where ever you go
if it be near or far,
Always remember you’re Keegan,
you’re special,
And I’m your proud Grandpa.
My Grandson Keegan
“Surround yourself with people who believe in you”
Portia & her FamilyWe are a family of five.
We’d already had seven years of knowing our Portia without a formal
diagnosis when she was diagnosed with Cri-du-Chat syndrome. She
was already immersed in our everyday lives. A label wasn’t going to
change that.
We’d also had two more children by then. The three sisters sometimes
get frustrated with each other, as sisters do. Growing up with Portia
means her sisters have developed empathy and tolerance and humour,
qualities which will hopefully hold them in good stead for their lives and
future endeavours.
Portia was mainstreamed throughout her primary and intermediate
years and she’s got to where she is today because of great support
from people who worked alongside of her and our family. Portia
went to her local high school and while she made good friends
in the unit she attended on-site, she yearned to be included in the
mainstream. She experienced and watched how students interacted
and was so affected that she presented a powerfully moving
speech to her peers at a full school assembly of 1600 students.
“Go forward in the direction of your dreams Live the life you have imagined”
Thoreau
She advocated about being kind to one another; about how we’re
all people with dreams and hopes, and how we express ourselves
differently, that’s all.
Portia is about to begin her adult journey. She wants to work in
a good job like a teens’ clothing store. She’s thinking about going
flatting and we’re there to support her when the time is right. As
long as Portia is happy, working in a job she enjoys and is loved and
well cared for, we think we will have done our job. Family is forever.
MichelleThe teacher who assessed Michelle when she was seven said she
was never going to read. Michelle started reading a week later.
She’d probably been reading for a long time, we just never knew it.
There was no funding when Michelle first started school and when
she finally got funding it was never too much, it was just enough.
She went to the same school as her brother. The school was
welcoming, she was part of the school culture where learners were
encouraged to be tolerant, she had inclusive supports in place and
she was accepted. Michelle blossomed in that environment.
When Michelle got to Year Six there were important roles and
responsibilities waiting for the taking. She wanted to be a crossing
patrol monitor and was partnered with someone who made good
judgement calls. Michelle was always on time, organised and
totally reliable. Twenty years on, Michelle still has all the attributes
of a good employee.
Michelle chose the college where she received her secondary
education and it’s fair to say she and the family then spent the
next five years fighting the system because they could always see
Michelle’s potential. Michelle regressed as a learner and we all felt
relief when she left at 19.
In the last couple of years of college we tried an innovative,
collaborative and interagency approach to transition planning, but
perhaps we were ahead of our time. The college supported Michelle
around some ‘job tasting’ and her work at KFC continued after she
left, for about three years.
Michelle has come around a full circle. She’s part of a cleaning
team who work at the same school as her sister attended. Michelle
has been employed by the same cleaning company for 10 years
now. She’s a valued employee.
Michelle has plans for her future which include continuing to work,
keeping in touch with her phone buddies, keeping in regular touch
with her family, adding to her cat collection, living in her own place
with Roy (the cat), having visitors (she’s a great baker) and getting
just the right amount of support to live well.
Michelle’s family have been courageous advocates. They stand
alongside Michelle still. Michelle is a courageous role model for
other people who have learned to appreciate small victories and
who dare to dream about what’s possible.
Gifts, skills & Talents
DUNCANDuncan has aspirations to do what any other 24 year old wants to
do: to earn money doing work he loves; to use the most of his gifts,
skills and talents; to leave home one day and go flatting; to travel
and explore the world; and to find love.
Duncan hasn’t chosen the easy path; he’s pursuing a performing
career. He has three strands to his bow: music, acting and dance,
and he has had success in each of these three areas.
For a few years now Duncan has played drums in a band called Mr
Handsome. The band has played a number of paid gigs at conferences
and parties.
At the moment there’s less music in his life and more dance. Duncan
has trained and performed with Touch Compass. He’s about to travel
to Australia where he’s been invited to train with another mixed
ability dance group. While Duncan has always strived to be part of
the ordinary fabric of life, he makes the most of options available
to people living with disabilities while clinging to the highest
of aspirations.
Since leaving college he’s successfully auditioned and starred in two
pieces of paid work as an actor. His first paid TV work was for a role
written specifically for a young man with Down syndrome in an
episode of Nothing Trivial, an acclaimed NZ production. Duncan
has also played the character of a man with Down syndrome in a
pilot episode that the producers are pitching to go to air.
That’s the performance business; it’s precarious, with plenty of
opportunity and filled with aspiring talent. And loaded with Hope.
“Do what is right, strive with all your might towards the unattainable,
develop as fully as you can the gifts you have been given, and never stop learning.”
Beethoven
As a young man Jeremy wanted to meet his bride and get married.
As more and more of his friends wed, there were times when he
wondered when his turn would come, but he never lost hope.
Little did Jeremy know that he had already met his future love. As
a young school girl, Justina had laid eyes on Jeremy and said to
one of her friends, “I want to get married to him one day”. Their
paths crossed again nearly twenty years later when Justina moved to
the city and into a supported living arrangement where Jeremy was
also living.
Their friendship developed and blossomed and on November 26,
2005 they were married. There are ups and downs the couple say,
but “We wouldn’t have it any other way. Just knowing that Justina
is always there for me and I’m always going to be there for her...”
“Justina is my friend and my wife and I’ll love her forever.”
Intimate relationships, life partners and marriage can be really
challenging ideas for some people to contemplate. As remote as
these possibilities may seem at times, it is important we never lose
our hope of finding love.
Jeremy & Justina
Parent to Parent is a nation-wide organisation that has been supporting families for 30 years, providing support, information and advocacy for families who have children and family members with disabilities or health impairments.
Parent to Parent empowers families by connecting them with others who have travelled the same path and understand the challenges, frustrations and unique joy of parenting a child with a disability and assists them to effectively navigate the disability sector while offering individualised information on their child or family members condition.
A specialised Autism spectrum information service called Altogether Autism is available through the Parent to Parent network.
Parent to Parent’s Sibling Support programme is delivered in weekend camps and one day workshops, and designed to provide an experience that helps siblings aged 8 - 18 cope with the challenges of living with a brother or sister who has a disability.
Free workshops and training courses are offered nationwide for parents and family members.
All services provided are free and confidential.
Connecting Parents • Individualised InformationSibling Support • Education
parent2parent.org.nz • 0508 236 236
ImagineBetter assists people to move from accepting a lifestyle dependent on government funding, to realising a lifestyle where you are supported to be active and contributing citizens using your gifts, skills and abilities. ImagineBetter does this by means of thought leadership, information and training, individual advice and mentoring. Our services are advice and support based and we work in Partnership for delivery and personal outcomes.
ImagineBetter offers a range of personalised services including Partners in Lifestyle Development, advice, consultation, Person Centred Planning and Micro-business development. We offer workshops, conferences and a range of resources designed to support disabled people and their families to achieve a good life.
DISABLED PEOPLEEVERYDAY LIVES
IMAGINEBETTER.CO.NZ • 0800 787 587
A world of possibilities is about seven New Zealand citizens who are active in their communities. The youngest is three and the eldest are in their thirties. These people are loved and love with abundance.
They live in their own homes, go to kindy, school, college and tertiary study, perform and work. They live, laugh, play, study and have fun.
They have gifts, skills, talents and huge capacity for contribution, friendship, marriage and success.
Each person and their families hold a vision for what makes life good for them.
They want what you want. They want what we want. We want what they want. They are just like us. The Future looks Bright.
a world ofpossibilities