A first for Queensland's most vulnerable

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with a disability in Far North Queensland are reconnecting with their culture, families and communities, with the support of Jerry Callope, Disability Service’s first Cultural Liaison Officer.

After years living away in care facilities, Chris* had lost contact with his family. A client of Cairns-based Life Without Barriers, he spent more and more of his days sitting in a chair, unresponsive.

Cathy*, also living in Life Without Barriers accommodation in Cairns, is 800 kilometres from her homeland and had only seen her relatives twice in 11 years.

Then Jerry Callope came into their lives.

Normanton-born Jerry is part the Queensland Government’s Positive Futures program, seeking to improve the quality of life of adults with an intellectual or cognitive disability and challenging behaviour.

“Indigenous people make up a significant number of Far North Queensland adults with a disability receiving a restrictive practice, like containment or seclusion, as a response to challenging behaviour,” Jerry says.

“Positive Futures encourages disability service providers to find other ways to support people through looking at their life, including their cultural identity, family and interests.

“People with complex needs like Chris and Cathy have to live many miles away from their homes to get the best care. I’m helping set up natural links so they can stay in touch with their family and community,” Jerry says.

In just one month, Jerry was able to re-establish contact for Chris with his father, whom he hadn’t seen in more than four years. A family reunion followed.

“It had been many years since he last saw his family but when Chris and his uncle embraced each other with a big hug, we could tell the bond was still there,” Jerry says.

Jerry has also brought Cathy back in touch with her family. He has arranged for Cathy’s parents to use the telephone at the health centre in their remote home community so that their daughter is now just a phone call away.

Life Without Barriers is creating a senior disability support worker role to continue Jerry’s important work.

*real names changed

More information
Phone Positive Futures
1800 177 120 or visit:
www.communities.qld.gov.au/disability/key-projects/positive-futures