David has attended group services since 1998 and has seen many changes within the service, as well as in the town of Sunbury. David has an intellectual disability and vision and hearing impairments.

Living independently in his unit since 2017, Distinctive Options visits David for 1:1 support several times a week to assist with cooking.

David learnt to use public transport within our Travel Training programs, and catches the train into the city every Friday with his best friend, Gavin.

David has a passion for drawing and writing comics and is working on a story about an imaginary world. He bases his characters off himself and his friends and draws inspiration from history, culture, movies and TV shows. Distinctive Options assists him with the writing and layout of the book. He hopes to publish the book one day- this is one of his NDIS goals. Safe to say- art programs have been some of David’s favourite programs over the years!

Melanie is a long-time service user of Distinctive Options, having started with us when she was 19. Now at 38, Melanie attends group services 4 days a week. She has a great sense of humour and loves to laugh out loud. She enjoys listening to music and going for walks in the sunshine.

Melanie’s is strong and enjoys life as best as she can. Her goals are to be happy, to be included in society and to one day live in her own home built especially for her.

Melanie receives 1:1 support within a group setting during the day, which allows her to have the flexibility to join in with the group activities or to go outside for a walk when she wants to. She also attends a weekly movie night as a part of our Extended Hours Activities. 

Melanie’s parents know that her needs are met at Distinctive Options and if there are any concerns they feel like they are always listened to.  At Distinctive Options Melanie is accepted for who she is and is treated as an individual.

Brittany is like all other 20 year olds; she loves hanging out with her friends and being as social as possible.

Brittany has Cerebral palsy and uses both a wheelchair and walking frame.  She has struggled with mobility in her arms and finds it difficult to complete some daily tasks. Despite this, not much can stop Brittany from achieving her goals and pursuing her hobbies. Brittany enjoys making necklaces and bracelets for her friends.  Brittany will make tie-dye shirts and her own head bans too. Brittany really enjoys doing the gardening & eating lunch at the park with her friends.

At Distinctive Options we have been able to help Brittany with everyday living activities and rehabilitation.  Distinctive Options accompanies Brittany at both physiotherapy and hydrotherapy sessions, ensuring that she can achieve and exercise to her full potential and work towards achieving her goals.

Our staff take time to build a positive rapport with participants and to understand each individual’s specific support needs to ensure that they are well cared for and feel comfortable. Brittney has said that she has more energy since attending group services at Distinctive Options. It’s great to see Brittany a lot happier with herself and very proud of the progress that she is making daily, especially with her physiotherapy.

Sarah first came to Distinctive Options in 2014. Sarah has Autism.  Now 35 years old Sarah is well known for her passion for singing and dancing! She could almost recite every song you have ever heard word by word and loves to accompany her singing with her famous dance moves.   

Sarah enjoys being supported to access the community and increase her health by visiting the pool and the gym.  Sarah says that Distinctive Options have helped her to achieve her goals and encouraged her to feel more confident in her community and daily living activities! With the support of Distinctive Options, Sarah is able to locate ingredients at the shops and prepare a basic meal.  Sarah has also built upon her daily living skills in a real life setting utilising our group support services in St Albans.

We cannot wait to see what is next for Sarah.

Jack is 33 years old and lives with his parents. Jack is funny and caring and likes spending time with his friends. He is an avid Bombers fan and is a long-time member of the club. Jack loves attending their games and is also a huge fan of motorcycle racing, the MOTO GP and WWE. He has a broad and extensive knowledge of these hobbies.

Jack was diagnosed with Costello Syndrome, a rare and obscure syndrome at about 5 years of age. Jack’s goals include wanting to live as independently as possible, in his own house either by himself or with a friend, with some assistance. He also wants to enjoy a similar social life to any other young adult his age and enjoys socialising with his friends and accessing the community.

During Jack’s time at Distinctive Options, he has made fantastic progress towards his major goals. His confidence has increased and he has made many friends. He has participated in cooking and fitness and activities that help him navigate with some independence, the community he lives in. Jack loves that the staff are young, share similar interests and treat him as an adult. He has been able to have 1:1 support go on outings such as concerts and Bombers football games.

Jack very much enjoys the outings arranged by Distinctive Options with his immediate friends that are tailored specifically to his wants and needs. His confidence has grown enough to enable him to feel comfortable enough to self-advocate when appropriate, which is a major step towards reaching his goals.

“Jack has experience with other service providers, but has really made steady progress thanks to the wonderful programs and caring, approachable staff at Distinctive Options.” Deb- Jack’s mother

Riely like most 19 years old loves listening to music.  Riely loves to rides his BMX bike regularly, watches Formula 1 and plays NBA on his Xbox.  Amongst Riely’s goals are;

• To work on his social and communication skills
• Improve his money management skills
• Contribute within his household more
• Obtain independent living
• Be able to comfortably support myself both at home and in the community
• Cook dinner for my family using the skills I have learned from my group support sessions

Riely has been supported in both individual and group support services.  This opportunity has given Riely the ability to learn and apply skills needed for his goal of independent living.  Distinctive Options have worked directly with Riely ensuring that he is participating in sessions that benefit him.  Reily has learnt how to cook and handle money effectively.  Distinctive Options have assisted Riely to participate in sports, namely, basketball, football & cricket.  Additionally Riely loves to use his hands working with wood. Riely has been encouraged to engage with other participants within his group support sessions, this has boosted Riely’s confidence and additionally helped him make more friends.  

‘’ I have noticed that my social skills have improved a lot and this is because I have been involved within group sessions and individual sessions. I’m a lot happier now and I feel more comfortable engaging in conversations with Distinctive Options staff and other participants. My money handling skills have improved and I feel a lot more confident when purchasing items from shops using the correct notes and change required. I feel confident and capable of cooking the food I have learned from my group sessions at home. ‘’

It has been a privilege to see Riely grow as a young man and gain more self-confidence when speaking.

Mel started with Distinctive Options, Kyneton in February 2021 and is assisted twice a week to feed and help with the maintenance and upkeep of her horse and her home environment.

Mel is vision impaired and has asked Distinctive Options staff to specifically support with:

“I need someone to be my eyes for me and tell me where things are as well as transporting me to and from the stables.” Mel is very clear with her carer preferences, in this case having some experience with horses is her specific request for this support.

Support staff verbally prompt Mel with where the horse is, how close Mel is standing to Maggie, where the feed is positioned and whether there are any obstructions in her way.

Mel has said “I am so extremely grateful to the fact I have access to support workers to keep my rescue horse and to make sure that I have access to support workers to keep her and make sure that I am not trying to do things on my own which would be very scary. Having found a worker who knows about horses, I feel almost as though I have a friend there if things went wrong, having a worker who has the knowledge and has helped me think of questions I may have forgotten is very reassuring to know someone else understands and cares for the situation at hand.”

Distinctive Options staff are supporting Mel to seek guidance and make further connections in accessing a qualified horse trainer. Mel is hoping to continue gaining confidence in riding her horse safely, completing safe exercises with her horse and to endure building a strong connection with Maggie. 

Mel also accesses Distinctive Options group supports on Thursday’s participating in the social fitness program, some activities the group engages in are: Yoga, basketball, football, swimming, play tennis,  lawn bowls, billiards, various walking tracks, Tailored D.I.Y workouts, stretching and gratitude affirmations / mindfulness. When needed Mel brings her guide dog Penny along depending on the scheduled activity, Penny is always welcome in joining and brings a lot of smiles to the group.

Mel said “Being reunited with one of the friends I made through disability support at the council when we were children has been really good. It has just been wonderful to feel part of my community again” 

Mel really enjoys staying active and looking after her health and well-being and is always engaged and contributing happily within the weekly activities.

We love Mel’s enthusiasm and she is a great advocate in speaking up and a very confident communicator. In October Mel commenced attending the Skills for life program with Kyneton Community House, supported by Distinctive Options. Mel has successfully completed her first aid course and the course is focusing on work place skills, resume writing, obtaining work placements in desired fields of interest as well as engaging in fundraising opportunities. Again Mel’s level of enthusiasm and creative input is really shining within this program.

Mel’s goal is to gain employment in reception or administration at a Vet or Medical Centre. Mel is very passionate in helping others and has a love for animals.

Mel is a social butterfly and really enjoys attending the group social nights, accessing local restaurants, comedy shows and any community events that are held and of interest to our group or Individualised Support participants.

We are delighted supporting Mel in helping to achieve her goals and assisting her with the maintenance of her horse Maggie. We look forward to seeing what outcomes Mel can accomplish in the future.  

Talisha is 20 years old and has Cerebral Palsy. She lives at home with her mum, 3 sisters and their dog, Gizmo. Talisha settled in well at Distinctive Options after leaving school in 2019 and loves the social interaction she has at group services with both staff and peers.

One of her NDIS goals is to be involved in her community by participating in social activities and having fun experiences. With support from Distinctive Options, Talisha has been able to explore new places and meet new people.

Talisha has recently obtained a new communication device, the NeuroNode Trilogy, and was able to have 1:1 daily sessions with the Communication Coordinator learning how to use the system. She now is able to practice using the device within her programs at Distinctive Options.

Ryan wanted to learn how to cook, wash his clothes, manage a budget, go grocery shopping and engage in social activities.  Our Individualised Supports service matched him with several carefully selected male support workers who would be able to act as positive role models whilst building relationships with Ryan.

Ryan believes that the Individualised Supports service has helped him to “become better at looking after myself” and that “I am now feeling a lot better about myself and feeling happier.”  He is proud to say that he now regularly cooks tacos for himself with minimal support. 

As Ryan increased his independence, Distinctive Options create new goals and strategies with him.  Consistent routines and participating in physical activity has been extremely useful in maintaining Ryan’s mental health and motivation. 

Ryan tells us “I like that Distinctive Options provide staff that I can connect with, share similar interests and are of similar age.  Some of Ryan’s highlights have been going to St Kilda’s Open Air Cinema and getting a tattoo of his favourite football team – Western Bulldogs. 

Alyssa in a 21 year old super friendly fun bubbly individual.

Alyssa enjoys presenting news and AFL scores at a local Bendigo radio station. Alyssa also enjoys going shopping, cooking hanging out with her many friends and karaoke. She also enjoys going bowling with her support group and being a social butterfly.

Alyssa's goals are to be able to live independently, engage volunteer work within the Bendigo community, obtain employment, organizing appointments and be part of events and activities in the community.

Alyssa has engaged in a vast variety of programs, ranging from going to a local Bendigo radio station and presenting the weather, Group supports for independent living, cooking and social activities. Staff at Distinctive Options have worked with Alyssa to ensure that she is happy and progressing with all of the activities that she participates in.

Alyssa expressed interest in gaining more home living skills such as scheduling, timetables, cooking, and organizing own appointments with the goal of someday moving out of her family home to live independently.

Distinctive Options has helped Alyssa learn the essential skills needed for individual living.  We have supported Alyssa by involving her within cooking groups, social activities, Rights & Responsibilities and Health & Wellbeing. The group sessions have been tailored to meet Alyssa’s needs and other participants who seek independent living in the future.  Alyssa has been involved with a local Bendigo radio station, building her confidence. Alyssa has also been involved with a budgeting and money skills group helping her understand and allocate finances.

 

Travis Finney lives in his own unit with the help and support of Distinctive Options. Travis has a passion for music, & enjoys listening to a variety of music ranging from Michael Jackson, John Farnham, and his personal favourite band Kiss, being able to sing the lyrics to any song he has listened to.

With support from Distinctive Options Travis is developing his skills to live safely and independently.  We also assist Travis with accessing the community and attend and participate in activities that Travis likes to do.   

DO support includes helping Travis learn, refine and improve his daily living skills like cooking, cleaning, washing, shopping and other household chores.