NDIS Stories - John's family home

JOHN: My name’s John Coyle. I live in Tasmania. I have three beautiful children. My two eldest children have intellectual disabilities. Bridget, my eldest daughter, is 22 and she has what they call a chromosomal deletion. Riley, he’s 20. He has autism. They are two different sets of disabilities and they have two completely different sets of needs.

My wife passed away twelve years ago after a six-year battle with breast cancer. And life has not been easy. It’s been a hard road.

When we had all three kids at home, it was 25 hours a day, eight days a week. And I required in-home support. I simply couldn’t do it on my own. I’d have different faces coming in every morning. Someone you didn’t know could rock up to your door, who didn’t know your children.

As a parent I simply didn’t know where my children were going to go, beyond the family home. The greatest development in all of that is the NDIS.

One of the main things is Bridget being offered external residence and full-on support. I’ve got peace of mind in knowing that she’s cared for and she’s comfortable and I’ve watched her grow and settle in. And she’s making a home for herself up there.

BRIDGET: Living here, it makes me happy and cheerful. I’ve been living here for two years. I’m happy because I have friends.

JOHN: They’ve become a little community up there. And watching her become a part of that, is what every parent wants for their child. She’s finding a home for herself beyond me, beyond the family home.

Riley, he gets fed up of being with dad all the time. So every second Saturday and Sunday, he goes out one-on-one, outside the home, so that’s allowed him some individuality. And those days I’m gaining a little bit of life back and that will evolve over time too.

I won’t say I don’t have anxieties – I do. But I’m far more confident about the future than I’ve ever been.