#aStoryEverySecond
At Distinctive Options, stories are created every second.
Everyone in the Distinctive Options world has a story to tell and it gives us great pleasure to be able to share these stories with you.
Stories that highlight the challenges, stories that show perseverance, stories that celebrate achievement and stories that are filled with pride.
These stories are the stories of Distinctive Options. They make our day, and we trust that they will make yours too.
Ashley
Ashley joined DO Honey in 2022 when we started this innovative social enterprise.
She's developed skills in honey production, including hive construction and maintenance and harvesting honey. Ashley is part of the research team for making associated products such as beeswax wraps and lip balms.
Ashley is always keen to share her knowledge in apiculture and believes strongly in the benefits of DO Honey, raw honey products.
James
James has been attending Distinctive Options since 2016 when DO first arrived in Bendigo and now enjoys a great variety of activities across the week, from sports to cooking, to swimming and trips to Melbourne - all with the aim of developing communication and social skills in small group settings. DO Connect
James also participates in DO’s Rights and Responsibilities activity, which is a self-advocacy group. Speaking up and having a say is a right, not a privilege.
Music is important to James; ‘My favourite artist is Kylie Minogue,’ he says and with his remarkable memory for facts and figures, James could easily list all her hits without missing a beat. In fact James is the kind of person you want on your trivia team.
Learn more about Group Supports
Matthew
Matthew was pleased to move out of
shared accommodation and into his own
apartment. With support from Distinctive
Options, Matthew continues to live independently, with assistance provided for daily tasks such as shopping, cooking, cleaning and attending appointments.
Health and fitness is one of Matthew’s priorities
and with Individualised support from our Kyneton team; Matthew was able to visit an exercise physiologist over a number of weeks and develop a personalised hydrotherapy program. Matthew recognises that the benefits of hydrotherapy
are not limited to the pool: “The hydro helps in walking, climbing up the stairs and with my balance."
Vanessa
I have been coming to DO Noweyung for many years. Some days I work at Banksia Fine Foods making delicious Jams and Chutneys and at the Cafe. Other days I come to programs at DO Noweyung. My favourites are Yackety Yak radio and Colour Gang. Noweyung staff helped me to organise to have my paintings at a Café in Lakes Entrance.
I have been using Noweyung FPM for a while now. They help me organise my NDIS funding. This takes the pressure off my family as it can be complicated and they don’t have to worry about it now. DO FPM pays all my NDIS bills and sends out monthly statements and makes sure I use my NDIS funding to the fullest so I get the supports I need.
Ross
Kyneton local Ross had wanted to visit the Gold Coast for many years, but barriers stood in the way. He was unsure if people would understand his unique style of communication and whether or not this might affect his sense of choice and control.
Ross uses both speech and a communication app on his iPad called Proloquo2go to express himself.
Ross trusted his support worker Johnny to help him every step of the way – from packing the suitcase and boarding the plane, to enjoying fine dining on the waterfront and taking a first ever ride on a rollercoaster. If he ever felt homesick, he called his family and made sure they were looking after his beloved cats.
Ross says the best part of the holiday was:
“Going to Movie World, checking out the Gold Coast nightlife and making new friends.”
Peter
I live in Distinctive Options Noweyung, Supported Accommodation Residential Service with my wife – Mary Lou. We used to live in rental accommodation in Bairnsdale, but things were getting harder. My wife and I, and our families felt we needed more support, so when the opportunity to move into Peters Court came up, we jumped at it.
We have support from staff for our shopping, cooking, banking and budgeting and transportation. But most importantly, when I need a little bit more help someone is here to give it to me.
We have a great unit and also a common room. The Common Room is where all the residents can catch up with each other or with friends, play pool, do craft activities, have a meal together or watch the big footy game together. “Go Bulldogs!”
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Cherie’s eyes light up when speaking about her all-time favourite film – Frozen!
For Cherie, one of the highlights of DO has been the friendships she’s made during group activities. Most activities, including dancing, bowling, swimming and sailing are held in the local community, easily accessible from DO’s base in central Bendigo.
Cherie joined DO Bendigo at the end of 2016. With support from staff, Cherie travels on public transport both locally and further afield to Melbourne for shopping trips and other events.
Zachary is a strong advocate for speaking up when something’s not right.
With support from staff Zachary attends the Bendigo branch of SARU (Self Advocacy Resource Group) every Tuesday.
“We’ve been doing posters and flyers to try and get more people to join SARU so they can speak up and have their rights heard. I have spoken up to support my friends in the past and it’s a good skill for people to have.’
Zachary is also a passionate sports’ player and credits his speed and height as distinct advantages when on the court. It’s also why he enjoys attending the group sport activity on Mondays at DO Bendigo. Playing sport and speaking up are as important to Zachary as making friends:
“I have made lots of new friends while coming to DO – it’s like a big family. I know that Tara and Beau would listen to me if I had a complaint. I love all the staff, they are great people.”
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Paris is a great cook, a confident woodworker and a talented gardener. She shares her skills and knowledge with the local community by volunteering at Kyneton Community House
every Friday, with support from Distinctive Options:
“On Fridays I volunteer at Kyneton
Community House. We do gardening from
10am to 2pm and it’s very enjoyable. I have learnt a lot. I’ve learnt how to prune a rose bush, how to sow seeds and also to make a worm farm and a compost bin. Because our support worker Jason is a carpenter, I’ve been able to brush up on my carpentry skills as well.”
On Thursdays, Paris attends a health and fitness program run by our qualified fitness instructor and support worker Rohan. This group-based activity is designed to keep participants focused on their health and fitness goals through such activities as playing tennis, basketball, cooking, going swimming and following a gym program.
Our staff ensures that everyone in the group is able to develop their individual skills while also
enjoying the social aspects of being in a team;
“They support me very well, I feel very comfortable and they have built up my confidence a lot over the last months.”
Brittany 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 bands too. Brittany really enjoys doing the gardening & eating lunch at the park with her friends.
At Distinctive Options Brittany receives support with everyday living activities and rehabilitation.
Distinctive Options' staff accompany Brittany to both physiotherapy and hydrotherapy sessions, ensuring that she can 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.
Tara
Tara is a champion swimmer, having won silver and gold medals at the Special Olympics over a number of years.
Tara’s specialty is backstroke and her success in the pool is partly due to a regular training program and having support from family and sports’ organisations such as Special Olympics Australia.
Special Olympics Australia is part of a global sporting community for people with an intellectual disability providing people with opportunities to play sport and open the door to greater personal achievement.
Competing at this level requires a great deal of skill and Tara is a natural athlete with energy to burn!
Tara enjoys the friendships she’s made at DO Connect Bendigo through our varied activity program.
Sarah
Sarah has a passion for singing and dancing, in fact she could almost recite every song you have ever heard word by word.
Sarah enjoys being supported to access the community and increase her health by visiting the pool and the gym.
Sarah says that Distinctive Options has helped her to achieve her goals and encouraged her to feel more confident in her community and daily living activities.
Sarah has built upon her daily living skills in a real life setting utilising our group support services based at Brimbank Aquatic and Wellness Centre.
Jack 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.
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.
Jack appreciates that many of the staff are young and share similar interests to him. He has been able to have 1:1 support go on outings such as concerts and Bombers football games.
Jack 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.
Talisha lives at home with her mum, three sisters and their dog, Gizmo. Talisha joined 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 group supports at Distinctive Options.
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 on his own experiences and those of his friends. He 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!
Alyssa enjoys presenting news and AFL scores at a local Bendigo radio station.
She also enjoys going shopping, cooking, hanging out with her many friends and karaoke. Alyssa 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, organise 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 as well as cooking and social activities. Staff at Distinctive Options have worked with Alyssa to ensure that she has the support she needs to progress with her goals.
A Bendigo local, Cezia joined Distinctive Options when we started in late 2016 and has helped shape the way we run our services.
We understand the unique ways in which people communicate and every day we incorporate a range of visual and verbal communication techniques to create a better environment for all. Everyone has the right to express themselves and be heard.
Cezia has recently taken on a volunteer role with Righteous Pups, an organisation that trains dogs for assistance, facility and therapy roles. She’s formed a great bond with her puppy ‘Moses.’
Cezia’s commitment and dedication will eventually help empower other people to live with greater independence, social inclusion and quality of life through their connection with Moses as a fully trained assistance dog.
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