When support is all you need
The following article featured in Tauranga’s Weekend Sun newspaper. Thank you to Sherryl and Terry Phillips for sharing their story:
Sherryl and Terry Phillips can now enjoy each other’s company in their retirement years, with the freedom of holidaying together when they want to and their son Corey is realising his dream of independence.
But life hasn’t always been like this for the former Bay of Plenty residents.
Dreams achieved
Riding along on a bike, with the wind in your hair, has got to be one of the most freeing sensations that we can experience.
It seems to engender that feeling of not having a care in the world, perhaps it’s because it gives you a different perspective on it, as it whips past you in a blur; cold air hitting your body – it’s hard not to feel alive. It’s an experience that we probably take for granted, but most of us have done it, even back in childhood.
However, for Allan (pictured) – who as well as being both severely intellectually disabled and autistic, is unable to communicate verbally – this is just one of the many experiences that had never been a possibility for him.
ConneXus – the online system giving people control over their lives
We are excited to announce that we are rolling out a new self-determining online and cloud-based program that allows people with disabilities to have control of their personal information. People with disabilities want control over their choices and what their lives look like, and with this in mind, the system has been custom developed for ConneXu so that we can facilitate person-centred facilitation to empower individuals to live their lives, their way.
Talent found at ConneXu Talent Quest
Join our next Cultural day this month
At ConneXu we like to celebrate and appreciate a person’s individuality. However, part of what makes us all unique as individuals is the culture we were brought up in, or identify with. To understand us as individuals, we therefore need to be able to appreciate the different cultures of people in our organisation, as well as within our community as a whole. With this in mind, we are running a series of cultural awareness days with the people we support, with one very successful day already held earlier this year (see photos), and another one planned later this month.
Dreams can come true
Corey Phillips (pictured, with Hon Dr Jonathan Coleman, former Minister for Health) is 27 years old, has a job and lives in Te Awamutu with his flatmates. This probably describes many people in our community – so these facts alone do not communicate the astounding achievement that they deserve. You see, Corey – who is a member of our community – is diagnosed with ADHD, severe Epilepsy, Asperger syndrome (a type of high functioning Autism), as well as other disabilities – and for 25 years, these achievements did not seem remotely possible.
Kevin’s journey of independence
This is a photo of a proud man. Kevin McNae has finally done it – he has put in the hard work and now owns his own scooter which he drives to work independently. This seemed a far-off goal months ago, but due to a group effort from Kevin himself, Levanne and Bryce from ConneXu, and strongly supported by his family, Kevin is able to enjoy the independence of not having to rely on others to get where he wants to in his life.
Check out Kevin’s story in the Te Awamutu Courier!
Here is the story as it appeared in the Te Awamutu Courier:
Many of our readers will recognise the friendly face of Kevin McNae, well-known personality and trolley collector at Pak’n’Save Te Awamutu.
Kevin has been working at Pak’n’Save for two years and during this time he has built up a strong rapport with many of the customers. Pak’n’Save Store Manager David Jones says that the store is extremely happy with Kevin’s work. “He goes out of his way to make people happy and he has a great work ethic,” says Mr Jones.
Fern on Inclusive NZ Board
We are proud to announce that at the end of last year, our CEO Fern Ryan (pictured) was appointed onto the Inclusive NZ Board. Inclusive NZ is a federation of organisations and individuals involved in the provision of employment and community support services for people with disabilities. Their ultimate vision is for New Zealand to become ‘100 percent inclusive and accessible to all’. This obviously aligns very well with our own values at ConneXu, and so Fern is able to share her vast knowledge and experience gathered over the last 25 years of working in senior roles in the community and disability support sector with them. This is exciting for both organisations, as it fosters closer working relationships and more opportunities towards our common goals.
Achieved: Secondary level in Workplace Safety Management Practices!
Congratulations and thank you to all of our ConneXu team for their hard work and dedication to health and safety. Led by Janette and Laura (Safewise), a huge effort by the Health and Safety team (pictured) went into the development and roll-out of ConneXu’s Workplace Safety Management Practices (WSMP) over the past few months, and culminated in us being awarded secondary level accreditation for WSMP.
