My Home, My Way

Welcome to the My Home, My Way Podcast.

Tim used to live in a group home. He had no friends, no choice and his life was full of rules. Tim felt sad and said it was like living in a prison! In this podcast you’ll meet Tim, his mum Sandy and Tim’s support worker. They describe the difficulties of group home living and how, during a stay with his family during COVID, a vision and plan was created for Tim to live in his own home. Tim’s life has turned around. With the right supports, he is now a member of a community garden, exercises in the park, invites his family over for dinner, enjoys shopping and cooking, is a pet owner and enjoys the freedom to live a good life in his own home.

In this episode, Jake Briggs introduces us to the My Home, My Way podcast… For us people with disability, living in our own home isn’t something we can just take for granted. Often, we have to make it happen - by ourselves, with our family and our allies. In this podcast series called My Home My Way. You’ll hear from people with disability and their families who are bypassing the traditional ‘group home.’ You’ll hear about housemates, renting or owning a home, finding new ways to support someone, how people with developmental disability and their family make a house a home and how to safeguard for the future.

Bobby Noone talks about the range of things that she has put in place to ensure her daughters, Tammy and Kelli, are safe and happy, and that they continue to be so when she is no longer around. Bobby knows that one of the things that keep Tammy and Kelli safe is living well in a home of their own that reflects who they are, is close to important people and places, and is a space to connect with friends and family.

In this episode we meet Catherine Wright, who is an artist, business owner and parent. Catherine (along with her children and husband) have been living in their own home for about two years. She shares how she and her husband came to own their home, some of the research and planning she needed to do, using technology and negotiating with builders to customise her home to make it accessible. Catherine also shares the positives that have come from owning her own home, which include being part of her local community and much more.

Meet Rachel and her mum Miriam as they talk about the journey of Rachel renting her own home. Rachel and Miriam discuss their fears, safety, community, their relationship and how they just had to give it a go when navigating those first steps out of the family home.

Jacob is a public speaker, President of Toastmasters at Newcastle University, a cricket lover, and a social organiser who loves bringing people together and sharing his life and energy with others.  In this podcast you’ll meet his mum Linda who will talk about how relationships are life-sustaining and a safeguard for Jacob living in his own home. Hear how Jacob has built his crew or ‘Circle of Support’ and makes sure it continues to thrive and prosper over time. This episode is about getting the right supports and relationships to thrive in your own place.

Marisha is an artist, sister, neighbour, fashion lover and Brisbane Lions supporter. Having the freedom to live the life that she wants to live, and doing it on her own terms is really important to Marisha. In this podcast, Marisha’s sister Sherryn talks about how she has learnt from and assisted Marisha to grow into the role of being the boss in her own home.

Brodie has a passion for music and bodybuilding. After completing a course in Personal Training (PT), he now works as a PT at a local gym. He moved out of his family’s home in his mid-twenties and shares with a housemate. When Brodie first moved out, his mother Justine had lots of fears because of Brodie’s disability: Could Brodie do it? Was he ready? And how would she manage his supports from a distance? In this podcast Justine shares her fears and what she did to overcome them.

Isaac has been living in his own place with a housemate for two years, a pretty typical arrangement for a 24-year-old. But Isaac’s home life could have looked very different if it wasn’t for his family’s strong vision. Isaac has complex support needs, but he’s living a typical and ordinary life in his own home. His mum Sheree explains how Isaac tried different living arrangements and support options to figure out what worked best. She talks about the myths she and Isaac have busted along the way.

In this episode we meet Kyal and his parents Andrew and Kay Fairbairn. Together they share their story around supporting Kyal to move out of home. They will share some of the things they had to think about when planning with Kyal to move out of home, supporting Kyal to set up his home in the way he chose to and safeguarding. They also share their thoughts around some of the positives that have come from Kyal living in his own home, including his thriving relationships and life in the community.