Jo is standing inbetween her parents Anne and John. Anne, is standing to the left of Jo, with her hand on Jo's shoulder. John is standing on the right , leaning over Jo, playfully ruffling Anne's hair. Jo is smiling at the camera.

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Alex is a young woman wearing glasses and a bright shirt. Her hair is tied up and she has a fringe. She is in a wheelchair and is smiling at the camera.

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Alex

Alex is an outgoing 26-year-old with cerebral palsy. Even though her disability affects her muscles, she is completely cognitively coherent, not to mention bubbly and dry-witted.
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She has recently published a book, <a href="https://www.store.bookleafpub.com/product-page/words-from-within-1">‘Words from Within’</a> which is a selection of prose and poetry which tackles her perspective on societal norms, barriers to accessing the world around her, together with humorous and sweet antidotes about life.
Alex says that she has loved writing ever since she was a child.
“I have always wanted to be an author but in this particular instance, I wanted to share my spiritual journey in the hopes that others are able to relate and can explore and express themselves.”
“I want to break down the societal belief that disability is something to be fixed rather than simply making our community more environmentally, socially and mentally inclusive such as educating businesses about how to make their spaces more welcoming.”
Alex&#8217;s spiritual journey has seen her become a qualified psychic medium, which enables her to hold space for people to connect to their loved ones in spirit and also offer soul guidance.
“As a reiki practitioner, I am able to channel energy from one spirit to another, as it is a technique for relaxation and stress reduction that can also promote healing.”
Alex says she wants to advocate and provide a voice for those who have disability and are potentially marginalised in our community. She wants to reduce stigma, increase acceptance, and encourage inclusion.
“I have unique experience and knowledge of the challenges facing our community and believe I can aid in making positive changes. I also would like to give a voice to disabled individuals who have experienced traumatic events.”
<figure id="attachment_1675" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1675" style="width: 503px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-1675" src="https://wp.carersolutions.com.au/app/uploads/2023/08/Alex2.jpg" alt="" width="503" height="335" srcset="https://wp.carersolutions.com.au/app/uploads/2023/08/Alex2.jpg 1080w, https://wp.carersolutions.com.au/app/uploads/2023/08/Alex2-600x400.jpg 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 503px) 100vw, 503px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-1675" class="wp-caption-text">Alex also enjoys being a mum to her fur-baby</figcaption></figure>
So, what would Alex’s message be to other young people with disability?
“Be kind to yourself because your differences are beautiful, you are beautiful and whole. Let society change and adapt around you, not the other way around.”

Support Worker is seated at a table with two young boys

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Have you ever dreamed of a holiday without your kids? No one to pick up after, no meals to cook, no lunch boxes to pack. Sounds idyllic, doesn’t it?
There’s no doubt that every parent dreams about going away on a solo holiday, but for parents of children with disability, the idea of travelling on their own can seem completely unobtainable.
Carer Solutions Partner and mum of two, Lauren, has been a stay-at-home mum for the past eight years, while caring for her two autistic boys, Archer 9, and Oliver, 7. Her husband Derek works long hours to support the family, which means Lauren was at home with the boys all the time.
Lauren’s sister lives in England, and when she gave birth, Lauren never in her wildest dreams thought she would ever be able to visit her and meet her new niece. She had trialled many support workers over the years to help with Archer and Oliver, but she was never able to establish any trust with the support workers she had been sent via an agency,
But, after discovering Carer Solutions and their Direct Employ service, Lauren was able to employ her own support worker after a friend highly recommended Laura to the family.
Laura already had experience as a support worker and onboarding her as Archer and Oliver’s support worker marked a pivotal point for Lauren and the whole family.
Carer Solutions assists families like Lauren’s to set themselves up as formal employers and employ people they may already know. Carer Solutions take care of all the time-consuming stuff such as payroll obligations and insurances, giving families all the support they need, to employ their dream support team.
“It totally eased my mind, having Laura onboard. She is firm but fair, and she is capable of reining the boys back in so that they keep their routine – they just love her,” she explains.
Not only does the Direct Employ service provide respite and peace of mind for Lauren, it has also afforded her the freedom to take a three week holiday to the UK to visit her sister and niece. She had not seen her sister for more than three years and was finally able to meet her baby niece for the first time.
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“Never in my wildest dreams could I have ever though that this could even be possible – but with the support of Laura it totally is.”
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Another Carer Solutions Partner, Elizabeth, who is mum of three autistic kids, was also able to travel overseas for the first time since becoming a mum over 21 years ago. Thanks to Carer Solutions, she was able to employ her favourite support worker, Sebastian, who was able to support Elizabeth’s children while she enjoyed the trip of a lifetime in Europe.
The trip was such a success, that Elizabeth has recently returned from her second solo European vacation, thanks to the support of Sebastian.
The unique service also provides flexibility for families to holiday together and employ a support worker at their holiday destination. That way they can avoid paying high overnight pay rates by bringing a support worker from home on the holiday with them.
“I encourage other mums to reach out to Carer Solutions and get the support that I now have. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and it is totally life changing.” Lauren says.

Woman sitting with her back to camera with a blue backpack on her back. She is looking out to the ocean.


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A teenager and a young woman crouched down, each with a golf club in their hands, looking at a golf ball on the golfing green

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Sarah and Jimmy are sitting on a couch, both smiling at the camera. 

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Trish and Alistair are both standing close to each other, smiling at the camera

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Trish and Alistair

Andrew is wearing a navy blue cap and hoodie, and his holding a paint brush. He is standing to the right of Steve, who has a beard and is wearing glasses and a navy polo shirt. Both are smiling off to the side.

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Andrew and Steve

Kylie is seated next to Nikita who is lying down on a mattress. 

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James is kneeling on the floor in front of Nikita. Trish is sitting on the couch behind Nikita. James has a bowl in his hand and is feeding Nikita.

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Image of Steve smiling at the camera. He is wearing a white short and standing outside with trees in the background. (Images Supplied)

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Steve Bear

Image of a young man with Down Syndrome, who has short brown hair and a moustache, smiling at the camera (Images Supplied)

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Alvie website

Oliver and Elizabeth sitting on a couch, both looking at their dog that is seated between them

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Anders_website

Image of a man sitting on a chair with his legs crossed. He is wearing dark rimmed glasses and has grey hair and beard. He is wearing a white tshirt with an orange heart on it, and a navy blazer on top.

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Craig Bridge, Head of Business

Jo, a woman with Down syndrome is smiling at her support worker Wendy who is looking at Jo and has dark hair and glasses

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Jo Page and Wendy

Community Stories

Meet Alex, our multi-talented Partner

Direct Employ service making solo holidays for parents a reality

How the Chignell family found freedom and peace of mind

Nursing and paramedic students – the quintessential support for Jimmy

How Andrew connected with his support worker, Steve

Finding the right disability Support Workers for Nikita

The New Social Platform Connecting People with Disabilities

How Elizabeth directly employed her favourite Support Worker

Craig Bridge Chats with ABC Northern Tasmania

A creative approach to building a Support Worker team in a regional area