For 28 year old Waylon, our Disability Supports have helped him develop independence and dream of achieving goals that had never before seemed possible.
Waylon is a lovely young man who is determined to gain independence. Our supports and his desire to learn new things are helping him to grow his confidence and capability. Six months into our journey with him, this quiet, reserved young man is markedly more confident and is now yarning more with other participants in at the Cook Disability Hub as well as support workers and frequently joins in on conversations with others.
Building on this newfound confidence and as a taste of even greater independence, along with Waylon’s Support Coordinator from Centacare, we identified an opportunity for Waylon to visit the Soul Shak earlier this year. This dedicated respite facility south of Cairns focusses on fun experiences, friendship, and laughter. It was just the ticket for Waylon after the turmoil his hometown of Cooktown has been through following Cyclone Jasper. The trip was spent swimming in the local waterhole, going to Rusty’s markets and the Cairns lagoon and meeting some great new people who were there to support him. A highlight was the trip to the Cairns aquarium, where he was stoked to see the underwater displays and actually touch the sea creatures in the touch tanks. He excitedly told us “it was really good to see all the fish and some good size sharks too!”
For Waylon’s support workers it was fantastic to see him able to embrace such a big excursion with new people and unfamiliar surrounds, and to thrive during it. This experience, along with his other progress will help demonstrate his capacity to live more independently in a house in Cooktown we have already helped him to apply for.
Waylon also has his sights set on employment. As he continues his development the team are actively searching for work experience opportunities or even his first part time role.
Waylon’s support worker Stepho has also put a lot of effort into working out how we could assist Waylon to get his driver’s licence. Now that the process is underway to begin physical driving lessons through Cooktown PCYC, Stepho has started to prepare him for these using the Gungarde driving simulator. This allows Waylon to practice all the skills he will need out on the road using a dedicated driving simulator, lessening the pressure and stress that often accompanies anyone’s first time behind the wheel.
We look forward to continuing to support Waylon to achieve his goals and to assist him to continue to grow his capacity to live independently within his community.