Meet Cory
To meet Cory now, you see a young man with confidence, an eagerness to pursue his goals, and someone who is living life independently, where disability is part of who he is – not what he is. However, this hasn’t always been the case for Cory, living with an intellectual disability.
Throughout his childhood and schooling, Cory experienced bullying because of his intellectual disability and poor hygiene, sadly leading to long-term impacts on his confidence, self-esteem, daily functioning, and ability to trust others. Cory experienced all of this, whilst taking on the role of a full-time carer for his mother.
Trust was difficult for Cory, largely driven by fear of judgement of his disability. Cory socially disconnected, and after the recent passing of his mother, struggled with his self-esteem, confidence, and day-to-day life.
Cory now shares how, “ (I) used to find it very hard to trust anyone and never used to let people inside my house, I don’t have parents around. I have to learn to do everything myself. Paperwork, bills, you name it.”
John has taken the time to truly listen to Cory and establish what his goals are to build a deeper sense of trust between them, so John could provide Cory with the best support possible.
“We had this great plan to come in and support Cory, but the first few weeks I had to gain his trust and communicate in a way that helped Cory open up,” shares John.
Cory’s care was tailored to meet his unique needs and circumstances. Initially, John worked on regaining Cory’s independence through skill-building. John began teaching Cory how to interact with others, how to manage a daily planner and creating routine around his personal needs to live more independently.
One of Cory’s main goals was to improve his community access, so John supported Cory to engage with his local Neighbourhood House. “This is working on Cory’s communication skills, technology skills, interactions with other individuals – and he’s building his self-esteem and confidence,” shares John.
“John has helped me build relationships with others and has helped me learn how to talk to others, and he has helped me build my confidence.
I feel comfortable getting out in the world now,” shares Cory.
Since then, John has empowered and supported Cory to understand and navigate social situations by engaging him in regular activities that Cory is interested in, like bowling, kayaking, gardening and more.
He is now heavily involved with his local Bowling team (scoring a few strikes!), tending to his newly created garden, attending social events on his own, forging connections with new friends and finding solitude in capturing his adventures in nature through photography and painting. Cory is also getting ready to attend his brother’s upcoming wedding – a major social event that he now has the confidence to attend (and enjoy!).
Not only is Cory living life more independently, but he also has the confidence to pursue his passions and aspirations – things that he previously thought were out of reach.
As Cory’s confidence improves, he is now committed to using his living experience to help others, “I want to help people with the same disability as me – showing them that we are more than just someone with a handicap.” Cory said.
Last year, Independence Australia delivered thousands of hours of community support services and care to people living with disability or other personal needs – an impact only possible with the kindness and generosity of our supporters.
Help us continue changing the lives of people like Cory who are living with disability to retain and regain their independence within inclusive communities.
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